Wanted Delivery Driver Jailed for 20 Months after Fleeing from Gurkha Camp
A 49-year-old delivery driver, Muhammad Hizamudin Sheik Allahuddin, was sentenced to 20 months in jail on Thursday for voluntarily causing hurt to a public servant, damaging a police car, and possessing drug utensils.
According to CNA, The incident occurred on June 22, 2023, when Hizamudin was assigned to deliver goods to the Gurkha Contingent on Mount Vernon Road. However, when officers scanned his NRIC, they discovered that he was a wanted man who had absconded from the prison’s day release scheme.
In an attempt to flee, Hizamudin reversed his lorry into a police sergeant, crushing his leg, and damaged a police car. He also possessed drug utensils, which were found in his lorry.
The court heard that Hizamudin had been released from the Drug Rehabilitation Centre in August 2021 and was placed on the day release scheme until June 2023. However, he failed to return to an approved institution on June 5, 2023, and a police gazette was issued against him.
While on the run, Hizamudin took up a part-time job as a delivery driver and was assigned to deliver goods to the Gurkha Contingent. When officers realised he was a wanted man, they dispatched two police sergeants to apprehend him.
However, Hizamudin refused to cooperate and drove his lorry forward, repositioning it to escape. He then reversed the lorry, crushing Sergeant Desmond Chi Wei Siang’s leg between the lorry and the police car. Sergeant Al Faini Sanah Abdul Ghani was also hit by the passenger side mirror and fell to the ground.
The lorry’s sudden acceleration caused a struggle, which ended when the vehicle crashed into a metal railing and numerous officers jumped onto the vehicle to apprehend Hizamudin.
Sergeant Chi suffered a hip contusion and was given three days of medical leave, while the police car was scratched, incurring a repair cost of $400.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Darren Ang argued that Hizamudin’s actions showed defiance against authority and had high potential for harm. The prosecutor sought 21 to 24 months’ jail, but Hizamudin’s defence lawyer, Ryan Nonis, argued that the actual harm caused was not that high.
In the end, Hizamudin was sentenced to 20 months in jail, taking into account his early plea of guilt, cooperation in investigations, and remorse.