SINGAPORE, July 19 — An 18-year-old motorcyclist allegedly involved in a chase along the Seletar Expressway (SLE) in June that led to the death of a Land Transport Authority (LTA) enforcement officer has been handed another charge on top of six earlier charges.

The fresh charge, under the Computer Misuse Act, relates to his alleged involvement in disclosing the user identity and password of his Singpass account to an unknown person over Telegram.

Singpass is the digital gateway to the personal identification data of Singapore residents, allowing them to access e-services.

The charge sheet stated that the teenager allegedly did so in return for the promise of loans of S$300 (RM1,043) sometime in the middle of 2023.

He has been remanded since he was first handed six charges on June 6. He is not represented by a lawyer and appeared in court via video link yesterday.

The six earlier charges against him were:

  • Dangerous driving
  • Failing to stop when ordered by an authorised officer
  • Riding without a valid licence
  • Riding without insurance coverage
  • Possession of a scheduled weapon without a lawful purpose
  • Drug consumption

He cannot be named because he was aged 17 when he allegedly consumed methamphetamine in August 2023. The Children and Young Persons Act bans the publication of the identities of offenders under 18.

The prosecution sought a four-week adjournment and stated that a Health Sciences Authority report was still pending, relating to cases involving the accused under the Central Narcotics Bureau.

Addressing the court, the teenager asked for a bail review, saying that his mother is now alone. He appeared in court via video link sporting a buzz cut with his head down.

In reply to the request, the prosecution stated that no bail review had been conducted so far.

The prosecution applied for no bail at the previous hearing because the teenager was arrested by police gazette and had failed to report to the Central Narcotics Bureau while on station bail, it said.

District Judge Brenda Tan fixed a bail review for July 22.

After that bail hearing, the case is next due to return to court on Aug 15.

Traffic offences

Charge sheets stated that around 10.40am on June 4, the teenager allegedly cut across two lanes from the road shoulder near SLE’s Tampines Expressway exit towards the Bukit Timah Expressway.

To evade the LTA officer after allegedly failing to stop when ordered to do so by the officer, the rider is accused of cutting across a chevron marking on the expressway divider.

He was also allegedly riding the motorcycle when he was not the holder of a Class 2B licence and did not have insurance.

At the hearing in June when he was first handed six charges, the teenager said that he was “not to be blamed” for the LTA officer’s death.

“I gambled my life as much as he gambled his. So the death, I may be one of the contributing factors to the death, but I am not to be blamed.”

On its Facebook page on the date of the accident, LTA identified the deceased enforcement officer as Zdulfika Ahakasah, who was trying to stop an “errant motorcyclist”.

“The Land Transport Authority is deeply saddened that LTA enforcement officer Zdulfika Ahakasah passed on in a fatal accident this morning. He is a valued member of our enforcement team,” the authority said at the time.

If found guilty of dangerous driving, the accused can be jailed for up to 12 months or fined up to S$5,000, or both.

Anyone who fails to stop when ordered by an authorised officer can be jailed for up to three months or fined up to S$1,000, or both.

If convicted of riding without a valid licence, the rider could be jailed for up to three years or fined up to S$10,000, or both.

For riding without insurance coverage, he could be jailed for up to three months or fined up to S$1,000, or both.

If found guilty of being in possession of a scheduled weapon without a lawful purpose, an offender can be jailed for up to five years and can get at least six strokes of the cane upon a first conviction.

The offence of drug consumption carries a penalty of up to 10 years in jail, with a minimum sentence of one year, or a fine of up to S$20,000.

For the unauthorised disclosure of an access code, the teenager could be jailed for up to three years or fined up to S$10,000 or both. — TODAY