A 47-year-old Singaporean taxi driver, Chen Zefa, faced 25 charges in court that included a slew of offences, including dangerous driving, insulting a woman’s modesty, and a number of speeding offences.
He was sentenced to one year and 8 weeks imprisonment on 22 September, as well as having his driving license revoked for 7 years, according to Shin Min Daily News.
Beach
One incident that led to Chen’s legal troubles occurred on October 8, 2017, at Changi Airport. Chen refused to pick up a couple as passengers, leading to a heated argument.
During the confrontation, Chen insulted the female passenger, using offensive language repeatedly and calling her a word that rhymes with “beach” three times, as well as making an obscene gesture at her.
Injured baby by slamming brakes
On January 31, 2018, Chen picked up another couple at the airport, who had their 15-month-old baby with them.
Dissatisfied with Chen’s driving, the couple confronted him, leading to an argument. In a dangerous display of aggression, Chen repeatedly slammed on the brakes, causing the baby’s head to hit the back of the front seat.
The altercation continued even after the passengers exited the cab, with Chen attempting to charge towards the couple in his taxi.
Caused accident with motorcyclist during fight
In another incident on January 1, 2019, Chen got into a dispute with a motorcyclist in Tampines.
During the altercation, he aggressively overtook the motorcyclist and abruptly slammed on his brakes, causing a collision.
The motorcyclist suffered multiple bruises and waist pain, requiring hospitalization and three days of medical leave.
Evade traffic police & crashed into bus, car
Chen’s reckless behavior extended to evading law enforcement. On December 3, 2022, a Traffic Police officer attempted to stop him for speeding on Airport Road.
Ignoring the officer’s signals to pull over, Chen continued driving recklessly, eventually crashing into a car and bus. This collision resulted in injuries to a female passenger in the car.
Repeatedly speeding, beating red lights
In addition to the serious altercations, Chen had a history of traffic offenses, including five speeding offenses and three instances of running red lights between 2008 and 2019.
He had been fined between S$130 and S$500 for each of these offenses, demonstrating a blatant disregard for traffic laws and the safety of other road users.