SINGAPORE: A man who jumped out of a minibus along an expressway in an incident that led to the death of a motorcyclist turned up in court on Monday (Dec 11) on crutches, with the prosecution saying they will try to expedite the case.
Russian national Eldaniz Ibishov, 38, was charged last month with causing grievous hurt to a motorcyclist, Mr Muhammad Nurhilmi Atan, by jumping out of a moving vehicle along East Coast Parkway (ECP).
The incident, which occurred around 11am on Nov 8, allegedly caused a lorry to come to a halt and Mr Nurhilmi to collide with the rear of the lorry, suffering multiple injuries.
Mr Nurhilmi was taken unconscious to hospital and died later that day.
Ibishov was remanded at the Institute of Mental Health for medical examination after he was charged, but no details of any condition he may be suffering from were revealed in open court.
On Monday, his lawyer, Mr Barry Douglas Delaney, said he had made representations – arguments on behalf of his client – to the Attorney-General’s Chambers (AGC) on Dec 7 and was awaiting a reply.
He asked for a week’s adjournment, saying that if the reply comes in, he could then take his client’s instructions.
The judge suggested sending the case to a pre-trial conference, so a deputy public prosecutor can take conduct of the case.
Mr Delaney explained that Ibishov’s bailor is his brother, and that the conditions of bail are that Ibishov has to be with his brother 24/7.
Ibishov is currently in Singapore on a special pass that expires in January, along with his brother. They are staying in a hotel, the court heard.
Mr Delaney said his client’s brother has to leave Singapore “quite soon”.
The prosecution said they would try to expedite the case, and the judge agreed, saying she did not think it was “ideal” for Ibishov to be in Singapore alone.
If the prosecution could expedite the case, “everything can be resolved holistically and his brother can bring him home”, said District Judge Lorraine Ho.
She fixed a pre-trial conference for the case on Dec 18, and asked the prosecution to expedite its reply to the defence’s representations.
If the prosecution were to still proceed on the charge against Ibishov, an urgent date for him to plead guilty could be arranged, she said.
The penalties for causing grievous hurt by a rash act are a jail term of up to four years, a fine of up to S$10,000, or both.