SINGAPORE - A Vietnamese teenager here on holiday will be spending a week behind bars after crashing into a pedestrian while riding an e-scooter.

Nguyen Doan Nam, 16, was sentenced on Wednesday (Dec 18) to a seven-day short detention order after pleading guilty to causing hurt to Mr Teo Kok Hock while riding the personal mobility device (PMD) in a rash manner along Geylang Road.

Offenders given a short detention order are put behind bars for a short time, but will not have a criminal record after their release.

Nguyen had arrived here on a social visit pass on April 8 this year to visit friends.

At around 10pm on May 20, he borrowed an e-scooter from one of his friends as he wanted to get groceries from a supermarket. He rode the device with a friend riding pillion.

The pair were on their way back to an undisclosed location when Nguyen decided to ride on the road. He was moving close to the kerb and against the flow of traffic.

Mr Teo, 37, was on the kerb side about to cross Geylang Road.

Deputy Public Prosecutor Kenneth Chin said: "The victim checked for oncoming traffic to his right travelling along Geylang Road in the direction of Kallang Road, and made sure that there no traffic before stepping down onto the road surface to cross Geylang Road.

"As the victim stepped onto Geylang Road, the accused noticed the victim, but was unable to stop the PMD in time."

The e-scooter knocked into Mr Teo and he fell to the ground. He alerted the police and an ambulance took him to Tan Tock Seng Hospital.

DPP Chin said Mr Teo was treated for multiple abrasions and a cut on his left foot. He was given four days of medical leave.

Nguyen and his pillion rider also fell off the e-scooter when it hit Mr Teo but the pair were not injured in the incident.

Police investigations later revealed that the unregistered e-scooter was purchased in Malaysia.

On Wednesday, DPP Chin noted that Nguyen is a young offender and urged District Judge Salina Ishak to sentence him to a seven-day short detention order.

He added: "While the victim was jaywalking just prior to the collision, this does not reduce the culpability of the accused in riding the PMD against the flow of traffic. The victim had checked that oncoming traffic was clear before attempting to cross the road."

For causing hurt to Mr Teo by riding the e-scooter in a rash manner, Nguyen could have been jailed for up to a year and fined up to $5,000.