Road rogue with history of dangerous driving sentenced to jail after bullying motorcyclist and causing a road accident

Ho Loong Chan, 65, kept veering close to the bike and applying the brakes to his Toyota Camry intermittently and at one point, even forced the rider onto the road shoulder before getting ahead of him and abruptly slamming his brakes. ST PHOTO: WONG KWAI CHOW

SINGAPORE - A former Land Transport Authority (LTA) engineer was sentenced to five months and two weeks' in jail on Wednesday (April 11) for a hit-and-run accident that saw him repeatedly intimidate a motorcycle rider and his pillion in a seven-minute road rampage incident.

Ho Loong Chan, 65, kept veering close to the bike and applying the brakes to his Toyota Camry intermittently and at one point, even forced the rider onto the road shoulder before getting ahead of him and abruptly slamming his brakes.

Assistant Public Prosecutor (APP) Andrew Low described Ho as a "clear road bully" whose actions were "deplorable", adding that the driver has a chequered past in terms of road offences.

In his submissions, APP Low said Ho has an "alarmingly similar pattern of inconsiderate, even dangerous driving behaviour" with antecedents for nine road-related offences stretching back to 1995 including inconsiderate driving, speeding and running the red light.

In the latest case, Ho's antics saw motorcyclist Muhammad Fazly Rahmat, 29, almost hitting the back of the car once before the two vehicles eventually collided along the Ayer Rajah Expressway (AYE) with the rider and his pillion passenger suffering injuries.

APP Low said Ho used his car to "bully, intimidate and eventually cause hurt" to the two victims.

When he saw what happened, Ho drove away from the hit-and-run accident scene.

But the whole drama was captured on a dashboard camera and the footage was used in court. Ho was sentenced on four counts of road-related offences - with another six taken into consideration.

He was also fined $800 and disqualified from driving for four years in a case which had APP Low describing Ho's actions as "cowardly and irresponsible" and for leaving "his victims in a precariously vulnerable position".

The incident started at around 11am on June 15, 2016, while Ho was driving on the two-lane Jurong Town Hall Road. He was occupying the left lane while Mr Fazly and Ms Siti Farina, 27, were in the right lane.

Mr Fazly was initially behind Ho but then went past him while still in his own lane. Ho then switched to the right lane and overtook Mr Fazly by moving close to the rider without signalling his intentions.

Although Mr Fazly switched to the left lane to avoid Ho, the driver followed him.

Dashboard camera footage shows Ho veering erratically from left to right and driving dangerously.

Mr Fazly tried to alert Ho by catching up with him and sounding his horn but was ignored. He then knocked on Ho's window to attract Ho's attention but when the driver turned to look at him, he appeared angry.

Ho continued to veer towards Mr Fazly without signalling when both vehicles turned into the AYE, causing Mr Fazly to almost hit a kerb.

While the motorcycle was on the extreme left lane of the AYE, Ho, who was in the same lane, again veered into the bike's path. He forced the motorcycle onto the road shoulder before going in front of it and then applying his brakes intermittently.

It almost caused Mr Fazly to crash into the car's rear end.

Shortly after, Ho also began to straddle two lanes while still veering towards Mr Fazly and also braking in quick succession.

Eventually, the two vehicles collided and Mr Fazly lost control of his motorcycle.

When he and his pillion passenger fell from the bike, Ho immediately drove away. Footage of the hit-and-run was posted online after the incident.

Mr Fazly suffered contusions and abrasions on his calf and was given seven days of medical leave while Ms Siti suffered abrasions on her knee and hand, and was given medical leave for three days. The motorcycle was also damaged.

Ho was tracked down by the police two days after the incident.

He is appealing against his sentence and will be out on bail of $10,000. For rash driving, Ho could have been sentenced to jail for up to a year, fined $5,000 or both.

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