River Valley fatal accident: Charge reduced for helper; gag order imposed on victim’s identity

SINGAPORE - A domestic helper accused of causing grievous hurt by performing a rash act that led to the

death of a four-year-old girl

will now be contesting a reduced charge.

Lilyana Eva, 33, an Indonesian national, had

claimed trial over the charge relating to a fatal road accident

at Institution Hill, near River Valley Road, on Jan 23, 2024.

The child, under Lilyana’s care, had run across an unsignalised junction and was hit by a car.

The Indonesian was facing up to four years’ jail and a fine of up to $10,000 after originally being charged with causing grievous hurt by performing a rash act.

Lilyana now faces a reduced charge of endangering the child’s life by a negligent act.

If convicted, she faces a jail term of up to three months, a fine of up to $1,500, or both.

Lilyana is accused of failing to ensure the safety of the child by not holding onto her while jaywalking at an unsignalised junction at Institution Hill.

The first day of her trial had been slated to start on Oct 15 at 9.30am.

But the prosecution and Lilyana’s lawyers met in the chambers of District Judge Ong Luan Tze, and it was adjourned to 2.30pm.

When it restarted, the judge imposed a gag order on the child’s identity, barring the publication of her name and image, and details of her parents, siblings, home address and pre-school.

The judge did not explain the reasons for the gag order on a case that had been widely reported by the media since January 2024, when the accident happened. The girl and her family had been named previously.

The prosecution’s first witness on Oct 15 was forensic pathologist Wu Jia Hao of the Health Sciences Authority.

He said he found that the child’s injuries were consistent with those that would result from a motor vehicle accident.

Dr Wu, who conducted the child’s autopsy, noted that she had suffered multiple blunt force injuries and fractures to her head and face.

The girl, who stood at 100cm tall and weighed 17kg, suffered extensive injuries to her skull and brain.

On June 26, 2024, an

inquiry into the child’s death

found that Lilyana, who had just picked up the girl and her younger sister from pre-school, had

jaywalked across the road

despite her employers reminding her not to jaywalk.

The coroner found the girl was walking a short distance ahead of Lilyana, who was carrying the children’s school bags and holding onto the younger child’s hand.

As Lilyana and the children approached the road at Institution Hill, the older girl ran across without noticing a car approaching from her left.

She was struck and run over by the vehicle. The driver could not see the girl, who had been completely obscured by a stationary vehicle in the first lane.

The in-car camera footage revealed the driver only had one second to react. The driver has not been charged.

Lilyana is represented by Dodwell & Co’s Mr Alfred Dodwell and Ms Lolita Andrew.

She has been living at the Humanitarian Organisation for Migration Economics’ shelter since she was

charged on Nov 6, 2024

.

It was previously reported that Lilyana had started working with the girl’s family in October 2023.

Her four-day trial will resume on Nov 18.