Motorcyclist, 51, jailed for hiring man nearly half his age to impersonate him for driving theory test

SINGAPORE — Worried that he could not pass a basic theory test in order to convert his Malaysian driving licence to a Singapore one, Goh Ah Hock paid an “agent” S$500 to find someone to take the computerised test for him.

The man who eventually turned up on Goh’s behalf was more than two decades younger.

A tester then discovered their ploy upon noticing that he did not look like Goh’s work permit photograph.

On Thursday (Sept 22), Goh, 51, was jailed for two months after pleading guilty to aiding Zhang Zhongliang, 28, in an attempt to cheat by personation.

Zhang, a China national, was also jailed two months in July.

The court heard that Goh learned about a law purportedly being introduced in July this year to ban the usage of foreign vehicles in Singapore.

Because of this, he decided to buy a Singapore-registered motorcycle for his long-term work here, which required him to convert his Malaysian licence to a Singapore one. He was riding a Malaysia-registered motorbike at the time.

One of the requirements for the conversion was for Goh to pass a basic driving theory test.

He then engaged an unknown “agent” to help him pass the test without personally having to take it.

On the morning of June 28, Goh met the agent outside the Singapore Safety Driving Centre located at 2 Woodlands Industrial Park E4.

Goh handed over his work permit and paid the agreed fee of S$500. He then went to a nearby coffee shop to wait.

Around then, Zhang, who had responded to an advertisement on the WeChat messaging platform to take the test on behalf of others for S$200, met the agent outside the driving centre.

The agent handed him Goh’s work permit and told him that he would be paid after completing the test.

Zhang presented the work permit to a tester from the traffic police who was verifying the identities of the test takers.

When the tester told Zhang to remove his face mask, he noticed that Zhang looked different from Goh’s photo on the work permit.

When the tester also asked Zhang what Goh’s foreign identification card number was, Zhang could not provide it.

This roused the tester’s suspicions and he asked Zhang to provide other documents to substantiate his claim of being Goh. Zhang then left the room and returned with Goh.

The police were alerted and both men were placed under arrest at the driving centre.

On Thursday, Deputy Public Prosecutor Yeo Zhen Xiong sought the sentence imposed, noting that a syndicate was clearly involved and a deterrent sentence was warranted to deter others from getting or providing such services.

The prosecutor added: “Goh’s lack of confidence in passing the basic theory test is a reflection of the hazard that he would have posed to other road users and would be no different from a driver driving under disqualification.”

Goh could have been fined or jailed up to five years, or punished with both.