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Judge ‘too shaken’ to make decision in fatal CTE crash case

SINGAPORE — A motorist who killed a Singaporean and three South Koreans in a tragic accident on the Central Expressway, in what a district judge described as one of the most horrific accidents the court has seen, pleaded guilty to two charges today (May 12).

Toh Cheng Yang leaving the State Courts after being charged with dangerous driving, April 4, 2014. TODAY file photo

Toh Cheng Yang leaving the State Courts after being charged with dangerous driving, April 4, 2014. TODAY file photo

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SINGAPORE — A motorist who killed a Singaporean and three South Koreans in a tragic accident on the Central Expressway, in what a district judge described as one of the most horrific accidents the court has seen, pleaded guilty to two charges today (May 12).

Toh Cheng Yang, 35, admitted to one count of dangerous driving resulting in the deaths, and to another charge of driving under the influence of drugs.

Sentencing was adjourned to May 29, with District Judge Low Wee Ping saying he was “too shaken” upon seeing photographs of the accident to make a decision.

The court heard that in the early hours on Aug 9, 2013, Toh, then a logistics operations director, had overdosed on on a sedative drug, nitrazepam, and was driving above the speed limit along the CTE “in an erratic manner”.

At about 3.54am, Toh, who was heading towards the Yio Chu Kang exit, crashed into the four victims who were standing behind a car, which had stopped on the chevron marking  the exit.

The four victims were Singaporean trainee pilot Amron Ayoub, 23; his South Korean girlfriend Song Jisoo, 24; and her parents, Mr Song Jungwoo, 55, and Madam Kim Mee-Kyung, 53.

The court heard that Mr Amron was driving the other three deceased and his girlfriend’s elder brother, Mr Song Seounghwan, towards Changi Airport, where they were to catch a flight to Hong Kong for a holiday when his car’s tyre went flat.

Mr Amron then stopped his car, without the hazard lights turned on, and alighted with his passengers to retrieve the breakdown sign and tools for changing the punctured tyre from the boot, when Toh’s car rammed into them, the court was told.

Mr Song Seounghwan, a professional golfer, emerged unscathed from the accident as he was standing beside the car.

The massive collision sheared off part of Mdm Kim’s arm, while the rest suffered near-amputations and multiple fractures.

Toh was later sent to Khoo Teck Puat Hospital for treatment as he complained of chest and back pain, but no visible injuries were found on him.

Further investigations by the Health Sciences Authority found that Toh had consumed between five to 15 times above the therapeutic level of nitrazepam — a prescription drug used to treat insomnia and convulsions — without a prescription.

Such an amount would usually give rise to toxic effects, the court heard.

Deputy Public Prosecutor Winston Man sought a five-year jail term,  the maximum penalty for the dangerous driving charge.

He added that Toh had not learnt his lesson despite having been convicted in the past for multiple drug-related offences.

In mitigation, Toh’s lawyer Abdul Hamid Sultan — who asked for a 30-month jail term and S$3,000 fine — said his client was prone to anxiety due to a failed marriage and financial issues, and had been prescribed drugs for relaxation.

Judge Low, saying he was “further shocked by Toh’s string of drug-related antecedents”, noted that his offence warranted a retributive sentence.

The judge added that he was “not surprised” that the prosecution sought the maximum penalty, but needed time to consider Toh’s mitigation.

“Usually, the maximum sentence is reserved for the worst-case scenarios, and this court hopes it will never see that,” he said.

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