A 39-year-old Russian man, Eldaniz Ibishov, has been sentenced to seven months in jail today (1st April) after pleading guilty to two charges of rash acts causing harm and remaining on a highway outside of pedestrian pathways. The incident occurred on November 8, 2023, when the man arrived in Singapore from Azerbaijan and requested a travel agency to arrange transportation to his hotel.
Emotional outburst after seeing a photo on the bus driver’s phone As the bus driver was driving along East Coast Parkway, the man suddenly became agitated after seeing a photo of a man wearing a hat on the driver’s phone. He attempted to unbuckle his seatbelt and open the door. The bus driver slowed down to approximately 30-40 km/h and informed the man that he would stop on the road shoulder to let him off.
However, the man, who did not understand English, did not heed the bus driver’s warning and jumped onto the second lane of the expressway. This caused a nearby truck to make an emergency stop, but the man then proceeded to the third lane, forcing the truck driver to make another emergency stop.
A motorcyclist trying to avoid the situation ended up colliding with the truck’s rear, resulting in multiple bone fractures, including his torso, right arm, and right leg. Additionally, he suffered bleeding in his head, neck, cardiovascular system, liver, and thyroid gland. The man was later pronounced dead at 12:40 PM.
The man had continued to walk towards the direction of the Marina Bay Sands area for about 30 minutes to an hour before taking a taxi to his hotel. He was later arrested by the police in the afternoon.
According to CNA, Assessment reveals the man suffers from schizophrenia A psychological assessment revealed that the man suffers from schizophrenia, which affected his behavior to some extent. However, the prosecution believed that the man’s mental state at the time of the incident was not unstable and requested that the man be sentenced to 8-12 months in jail. The prosecution noted, “Although the defendant was affected by schizophrenia and believed he was a victim of a kidnapping, he still made the decision to jump off the bus, knowing the risks and potential consequences.”
The defendant’s lawyer, however, argued that the man’s condition had relapsed, and he saw jumping off the bus as a “self-protective” measure. Although the man regretted his actions, his family had offered $2000 to the victim’s family as a gesture of goodwill, which was accepted.
The judge acknowledged that the man’s condition had contributed to his actions, but determined that the man still had self-control and self-restraint. The judge ultimately decided to sentence the man to seven months in jail.
Image: instagram/sandrafaustinalee