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Jail, driving ban for cabbie who ran red light, injured woman

SINGAPORE — A taxi driver who beat a red light and ran into a female pedestrian was yesterday sentenced to two weeks’ jail and disqualified from driving for three years.

SINGAPORE — A taxi driver who beat a red light and ran into a female pedestrian was yesterday sentenced to two weeks’ jail and disqualified from driving for three years.

The court heard that prior to the incident, Lek Petros, 56, had committed close to 20 traffic-related offences, with the first one — involving rash driving — occurring nearly 40 years ago.

His other offences included speeding and beating the red light.

Lek, a Premier Taxis driver at the time of the incident on March 8 last year, had earlier admitted to one count of causing grievous hurt through negligent driving, which left his victim hospitalised for six days.

The court heard that Lek had been driving his taxi at around 10.40pm that day along West Coast Road towards Pasir Panjang Road when he failed to stop at the red light signal, which had been lit for more than seven seconds.

This resulted in his taxi hitting Ms Ye Dongsen, who was crossing the road at the pedestrian crossing as the green man signal was on.

Following the collision, Ms Ye, 28, was warded at the National University Hospital’s intensive care unit for three days, before spending another three days in a normal ward. She was also given three weeks’ hospitalisation leave.

She suffered traumatic brain injury, rib fractures, and post-concussion syndrome, in which she experienced headaches and dizziness for weeks after, among other injuries.

Lek admitted he had not noticed that there was a traffic light ahead of him, adding that he had been focused on the bus stop ahead of him in search of passengers. The court also heard that Lek did not visit Ms Ye in hospital.

However, the prosecution, who had asked for at least two weeks’ jail, and a disqualification from driving for three years, said it was partly because Ms Ye herself did not want to meet the driver.

In his sentencing remarks, District Judge Prem Raj said he had taken into account Lek’s plea of guilt and his attempts at corresponding with the victim.

He also noted Lek’s driving history, which included committing one more offence of beating the red light after the March 8 incident.

For causing grievous hurt through a negligent act, Lek could have been sentenced to a jail term of up to two years, and/or fined up to S$5,000.

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