A Singaporean Gojek driver who previously went viral for driving his car into a swimming pool at the Hillside Condominium back in February, has since been charged on 28 June for committing a rash act and endangering life while operating machinery.

The driver, 67-year-old Chean Tuck Heng, is set to return to court on 8 August where he is intending to plead guilty, and he will also not be engaging a lawyer.

Recap

On 28 February 2023 at about 9.10pm, a Gojek driver ended up driving into a swimming pool at a condominium in Bukit Timah after making a wrong turn while finding his way in the rain.

A resident who lives in the condominium, Luke, witnessed the car “going for a swim” and posted a video of it on TikTok, showing the car partially submerged in the pool.

He said that the driver of the white Honda was a PHV driver who was dropping off a passenger at the condominium at the time, at about 9pm.

It was raining heavily at the time and visibility was low.

Luke said that it all started when the passenger allegedly told the driver to turn into a path that was only meant for pedestrians, and the path led to the swimming pool.

The route was only meant for pedestrians and not vehicles, and a security guard told the driver to reverse his car out of there.

The driver then proceeded to perform a three-point turn in order to leave the path, managing to turn his car onto a grass patch and somehow managed to avoid hitting the poolside chairs and tables.

However, things then took a turn for the worst when he was at the final stage of his three-point turn but he accidentally stepped on the gas, driving straight into the swimming pool.

He then tried to reverse his car out of the swimming pool but couldn’t do so because the front tyres had already gotten stuck on the stairs inside the water.

The car was eventually pulled out of the pool by a tow truck at about midnight, and the driver escaped unharmed.

@marketplaceforads The 2023 Hillside Condo Car Pooling incident Singapore. A new meaning to what carpooling means. #singapore #singaporetiktok #mothership #singapore #fyp ♬ 芭比q了 – 邓家忠

The Hillside said in a statement that the driver who drove into their swimming pool was a Gojek driver and that they are seeking legal advice for the damage caused.

The driver had reportedly hit some potted plants as well.

The Hillside said that they have reached out to Gojek regarding the claim for property damage, although it is unclear how badly the pool was damaged from the incident.

They investigated the incident and found out that the passenger was a woman who was visiting her family living in the condominium.

The management said in their statement that the driver had initially driven through the main entrance of the condominium before turning right into a dead end.

Their CCTV footage showed that the car remained stationary before moving into a narrow pathway that was meant for pedestrians only, leading towards the clubhouse beside the swimming pool.

The driver drove on the pedestrian path before coming to a stop at the clubhouse.

The condominium alleged that the driver was approached by a security guard, who told him to reverse his car, but he purportedly drove forwards instead, before turning right and ending up inside the pool.

The driver then alighted from his submerged car and told the guard that he was a Gojek driver.

Gojek said that they are looking into the case and are speaking to the customer and the driver to resolve the issue and take action.

They emphasized their desire to provide a “safe and positive” experience for everyone.

A woman and her 2-year-old daughter were run over by a cyclist along East Coast Park on 25 June, resulting in the woman suffering a fractured tailbone while the toddler suffered abrasions all over her body.

The woman’s husband then took to Facebook to appeal for witnesses, saying that the cyclist had become uncontactable after the accident, with his phone numbers being turned off and invalid.

Here is what he said

Accident between cyclist (male Caucasian in late teens to 20s) and pedestrians (woman and 2-year-old child) at East Coast Park shared path beside East Coast Lagoon Food Village on 25 June 2023 at 3pm.

Appeal for witnesses and information on culprit’s identity/whereabouts.

*Admin, please delete if post is deemed inappropriate*

On 25 June 2023 (Sunday), my family (wife, 4-year old son, and 2-year old daughter) and I were taking a stroll at East Coast Park on the shared path at the extreme left outside East Coast Lagoon Food Village. This was towards the direction of the Singapore Wake Park. At about 3pm, a male cyclist on a road bike suddenly crashed into my family from the back at high speed. The impact caused my wife and daughter to be injured. My wife fell backwards and hit her head and back on the ground, while my young daughter fell face front. Both were hospitalised.

The culprit is a Caucasian and likely to be in his 20s with blond hair with a height of about 1.75 to 1.8m. He identified himself to be a British and mentioned that his name was “George”. The culprit apologised profusely and said that the injuries wouldn’t be too serious. I requested his contact number as I told him that he needed to be responsible for the matter. He gave me two numbers – one being a local number (88736715), while the other being a UK number (+44757777262). He appeared sincere in wanting to take responsibility. He even corrected me when I keyed in his UK number incorrectly which made the situation even more convincing. I trusted him (which was a mistake) as my focus back then was to quickly rush my family to the hospital for medical attention.

After checking my family into a nearby hospital – Parkway East Hospital, I attempted to contact George. However, his local number is never turned on, while his UK number is invalid. I have reported the accident to the police as this involved bodily injuries. The police established that this is a case of rash act / negligence and is a criminal offence. My wife has a fracture in her tailbone, while my daughter has abrasions all around her body including her face. Being a 2-year old child, my daughter has also been badly traumatised with a change in her behaviour – more withdrawn and easily irritable. Investigations are underway.

The purpose of my post is twofold: –

1) If you have witnessed the accident and know the identity and/or whereabouts of the culprit, please PM me or contact me on *phone number redacted*. Your identity will be kept strictly confidential. The culprit was cycling on a roadbike with a partner on another bike. Both are Caucasians in their late teens to 20s. Both were topless and wearing dark coloured shorts. The culprit suffered some abrasions to his limbs because of the accident. Your help is most appreciated as this would expedite investigations.

2) If you are the culprit, man up and take responsibility for your actions. Giving false information, especially after you have caused harm to a lady and a child? You ought to be ashamed of yourself. The police have access to CCTVs around the park. You have the choice of voluntarily surrendering yourself and sleeping in peace at night. Otherwise, be prepared for embarrassment if you get arrested at your residence, workplace, school, immigration checkpoint (if you decide to flee), etc.

Source: Andrew Foo on SG PCN Cyclist Facebook

A 50-year-old man was sentenced to 18 years in jail on Tuesday (27 June) for assaulting and raping his 10-year-old stepdaughter, he had pleaded guilty to a count of rape and another count of assault by penetration, with 3 other charges being considered during his sentencing.

The abhorrent acts continued even after his wife was released from prison, as he took advantage of the child while her mother was asleep.

The man, whose identity remains undisclosed for legal reasons, married the victim’s mother in Batam before the family relocated to a flat in Singapore in September 2017.

Tragically, just weeks after their move, the victim’s mother was sentenced to a 14-week jail term, the reasons for which were not revealed in court documents. It was during this vulnerable period that the offender began his heinous acts against his stepdaughter.

Taking advantage of the absence of the victim’s mother, the 50-year-old man initiated his assault of his 10-year-old stepdaughter. When the young girl resisted both physically and verbally, he threatened her with further acts of violence if she revealed what he did to anyone.

Despite her attempts to fend him off, she was overpowered by the man, who was larger and stronger than her, leading to her enduring unimaginable pain and suffering.

The assault persisted from 2017 to 2020, even after the victim’s mother returned home. Frightened by her stepfather’s threats, the victim remained silent, trapped in a cycle of fear and manipulation. Her stepfather’s actions robbed her of her innocence, leaving her emotionally scarred and deeply traumatized.

The crimes came to light in October 2021, when an unrelated incident prompted the victim’s mother to contact the police. Through investigations into the matter, the offenses were exposed.

Confronted by his wife, the offender initially denied the allegations but eventually confessed. In an attempt to avoid legal repercussions, he offered the victim a monthly sum of S$500 and apologized, pleading with them not to report the crimes to the police.

The victim shared the extent of her suffering during consultations with a doctor at a Child Guidance Clinic.

She disclosed having thoughts of self harm since 2017 and revealed her aversion to the traumatic experiences she endured.

Recurrent flashbacks, anxiety, and hyperawareness of men in public spaces plagued her. The victim’s emotional well-being had been shattered, and she carried feelings of anger for not disclosing what happened to her earlier.

A 36-year-old Chinese national, Zhou Dani, had been involved in a relationship with her Singaporean lover for over four years. Despite knowing that he was married and had a child, Zhou believed that he would ultimately choose to settle down with her.

However, in late 2020, she discovered that he had been seeing another woman, which caused their relationship to deteriorate further. By August 2021, her lover expressed his desire to end the affair.

In an attempt to salvage their relationship, Zhou Dani decided to pay a visit to her lover’s house in September 2021. She hoped to discuss the two children she claimed to have had with him during their affair.

Zhou demanded through WhatsApp for him to come out of his house, but he refused. Determined to be heard, Zhou repeatedly pressed the doorbell, drawing the attention of his family members.

As Zhou’s ex-lover remained inside the house, urging her not to cause a disturbance, she climbed over the metal gate of the property. Once inside, she sent him a close-up photograph of his car and main door, along with threatening messages. She vowed to “crush” his car and even threatened harm to his mother if he did not comply.

In a fit of rage, Zhou grabbed one of his golf clubs and proceeded to smash his car’s body, windows, and door. Unfortunately, the golf club itself was destroyed during the act.

During Zhou’s destructive rampage, her ex-lover contacted the police, referring to her as a “lady stalker” who had invaded his home.

When the authorities arrived at the scene, Zhou was still in the process of damaging her ex-lover’s house. However, she ceased her destructive actions upon the police’s orders and was subsequently arrested.

It is worth noting that Zhou admitted to consuming alcohol before the incident.

Following the incident, Zhou Dani was charged with mischief, criminal trespass, and criminal intimidation. After pleading guilty to two of the charges and with the third charge taken into consideration, she was sentenced to two weeks’ imprisonment. Additionally, she was ordered to compensate her ex-lover for the damages caused.

The damages resulting from Zhou’s violent outburst were substantial. The estimated cost of repairs amounted to approximately S$18,361.67. This included the expenses for repairing the car, replacing the house window, and the value of the broken golf club.

During the legal proceedings, Zhou Dani’s mental health came under scrutiny. A private psychiatrist diagnosed her with adjustment disorder, which prompted the court to order a Mandatory Treatment Order (MTO) Suitability Report.

However, a psychiatrist from the Institute of Mental Health (IMH) opined that Zhou was unsuitable for MTO. The IMH psychiatrist emphasized that Zhou’s actions were more influenced by alcohol intoxication than her adjustment disorder.

Zhou Dani has filed an appeal against her sentence and the compensation order. At present, she is out on bail pending the outcome of her appeal.