A traffic police officer in Singapore was sentenced on Monday ( Sep 9 ) for killing a 58-year-old pedestrian while traveling at a speed of 108 kilometers per hour.
Muhammad Firdaus Yusoff, a 32-year-old Singaporean, was jailed for seven weeks and banned from obtaining any travelling permission for eight years.
He admitted to one count of riding a motorcycle without giving other road users a fair chance of respect by moving at a rate that was more than twice the 50kmh reduce next month. He was  , on his approach to an accident , at the time of the event.
The Singapore Police Force previously informed CNA that it began looking into Firdaus, who holds the rank of SGT ( 3 ), and that it had suspended him from frontline duties.
District Judge Kok Shu-En told Firdaus during sentencing that “you of all citizens ought to have known how risky it is to be traveling at such frequencies.”
She did point out that he was not moving at that” important” rate for a “frivolous” reason; rather, she was traveling to attend an accident that “understandably requires some degree of urgency.”  ,
THE Event
Firdaus reportedly joined the traffic police in 2020, according to the judge.
He checked that his allotted scooter was in good condition and without problems when he started his shift on Jun 21, 2023, at around 1 p.m.
When he was despatched to enter a situation where a bike skidded and an ambulance were required, he was returning to the customers authorities headquarters in Ubi at around 5:30pm.
Firdaus was aware that the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) had already been dispatched to the scene of the collision at Buangkok Drive and Hougang Avenue 6, but he was unaware of the extent of the wounds or fatalities.
The situation was hardly classified as an incident.
Firdaus ‘ task as the first police officer dispatched to the affair was to determine the nature of the accident and whether additional officers tools were required.
If he arrived before the doctors, he was moreover required to control transportation and administer first aid.
He was aware, however, that he was not required to travel above the speed control while intervening in such cases.
Firdaus rode on street 1 of a three-lane route along Hougang Avenue 3 near a Kim Chuan Road crossing while driving to the incident.
The sufferer, a 58-year-old person, was crossing the road from Firdaus ‘ left to right.
When Firdaus applied tough brakes while sounding his horn, the victim realized that the sufferer had never noticed the motorcycle’s direct lighting and siren.
He was unable to turn right in the direction of the target in time.
The victim was thrown off his bicycle after it overturned and fell on its edge and was thrown onto the lawn edge of the center divider by the collision.
The sufferer was taken to a hospital, but he later passed away from many wounds sustained in the incident.
The victim’s crossing of the road was not within 50 meters of an overhead gate, which was located farther up the road, the court was told.
Hence, the victim was no jaywalking. Any commuter who is not crossing at a motorist crossing is also required to supply the right of way to incoming vehicles, according to the prosecution.
Studies revealed that Firdaus ‘ motorcycle had a rate of 108 km/h on the record before the collision, which was a significant decrease in speed.
Firdaus was aware that the speed limit for that route was 50 kilometers per hour. If he had followed this, he would have been able to avoid the incident, the prosecutors said.
Daphne Lim and Lim Jia Rong, the sheriff public prosecutor, requested five to seven months in prison for Firdaus, as well as an eight-year driving restrictions.
According to them, Firdaus had driven more than 50 kilometers per hour over the speed control.
” This was dangerous riding and as a police officer, the accused should have known better”, they said.
However, the lawyers noted that there was” some necessity” to the event. Firdaus was the first police officer dispatched there, despite the fact that it was n’t an emergency, and he would have to administer first aid if SCDF had not yet arrived.
Firdaus had likewise switched on his horn and blinkers to warn people of his existence, the trial acknowledged.
A large number of community members took becomes talking to Firdaus while he was being taken away in court, which made him cry.
For using without expected consideration, causing death, he could have been jailed for up to three years, fined up to S$ 10, 000, or both.