Indian-origin jailed for killing couple in accident in S'pore

A 22-year-old Indian-origin Singaporean man was jailed for eight weeks and banned from driving for five years after the minibus he was driving killed a couple in a road accident.

Nigel John Retnam, was a full-time national serviceman when he negligently caused the deaths of Mr Wong Sang Min, 63, and his wife, Madam Ng Soo Kiew, 60, along Yishun Avenue 2 near Khatib MRT station on July 19 2015, the Straits Times reported today.

He had failed to keep a proper lookout, thus causing the minibus to hit the motorcycle, which in turn rammed into the back of a car, resulting in the couple being flung off the machine.

Wong died on the spot while Ng died in a hospital three days later.

Retnam also admitted to causing hurt to Zaharah Mohamed Yasir, 41, who hit the dashboard of the car in which the motorcycle had crashed.

The court heard that Retnam had borrowed and drove the 11-seater minibus but had not kept a proper lookout before the accident.

He has been jailed for eight weeks and banned from driving for five years, the report said.

Two other chargers of driving the minibus without a vocational licence and insurance coverage were taken into consideration during yesterday's sentencing.

Retnam's lawyer S S Dhillon said in mitigation that his client had been suffering from nightmares and "mental agony" since the accident.

Retnam could have been jailed for up to two years and/or fined for causing death by negligence. For causing hurt by doing an act so negligently as to endanger the personal safety of others, he could have been jailed for up to six months and/or fined up to SGD 2,500.