SINGAPORE: The High Court on Friday (Oct 7) quashed the conviction of a man who took the fall for his daughter by pleading guilty and going to jail in her stead over a road traffic accident.
Mr David Ong pleaded guilty in September 2020 in the State Courts to his purported role in a car accident, where his car collided with a motorcycle along Tampines Avenue 2 in October 2019.
The motorcyclist sustained a wrist fracture and Mr Ong pleaded guilty to the offence of causing grievous hurt by an act in a negligent manner endangering human life or the personal safety of others.
The in-car camera footage of another car captured the collision, and the footage was played in the State Courts. Mr Ong confirmed what happened and was sentenced to five days’ jail, which he served. He was also banned from driving for two years.
He claimed he was responsible for the accident, which was a result of his negligence and fatigue from working long hours.
However, after the conviction, new information came to the attention of the prosecution. In April this year, the police were alerted to an audio recording from Mr Ong’s in-car camera footage of a conversation between Mr Ong and his daughter, Ms Audrey Ong Hui Ling.
Immediately after the collision, the conversation suggested that Mr Ong had informed his daughter that he would “take her place”, said Deputy Public Prosecutor Santhra Aiyyasamy.
The case was reviewed and it was determined that Mr Ong was not the driver at the time. Instead, he had lied to the police to shield his daughter from prosecution, said Ms Aiyyasamy.
She urged the court to quash his conviction, as it was “palpably wrong”. The court accordingly quashed the conviction on Friday (Oct 7).
Ms Aiyyasamy said it was “a serious injustice” for Mr Ong to have been punished instead. He “perverted the course of justice by taking the blame for an offence on behalf of another person”, said the prosecutor.
She added that further injustice may result if the victim seeks to launch a civil suit against the driver of the car.
CNA has contacted the Attorney-General’s Chambers and the police on whether any action will be taken against Ms Ong and Mr Ong.