Court rejects bail application of teen allegedly linked to LTA officer’s fatal crash
A teenager allegedly linked to a fatal accident involving a Land Transport Authority (LTA) enforcement officer in June will remain in remand after a district court rejected his bail application on July 22.
The 18-year-old, who cannot be named as he was 17 when he allegedly consumed methamphetamine on Aug 7, 2023, asked to be released on bail when he appeared in court via video-link.
Those below 18 are protected under the Children and Young Persons Act.
Without revealing details, the youth told District Judge James Elisha Lee that one of his siblings will be going to jail soon over a drug-related offence and their mother will be alone.
He added that he would like to keep her company.
But a police prosecutor urged the court to turn down the bail application, stressing that the youngster is deemed to be a flight risk.
In earlier proceedings, the court heard that he had absconded in October 2023 before he was to be taken to a community rehabilitation centre.
The judge agreed with the prosecution and rejected the application. The youth’s pre-trial conference will be held on Aug 5.
On June 6, he was handed six charges for offences such as riding a motorcycle in a dangerous manner, weapon possession and drug consumption.
The teenager is accused of riding a motorcycle without a valid licence on Seletar Expressway towards Bukit Timah Expressway at around 10.40am on June 4.
He allegedly failed to stop when a uniformed LTA officer ordered him to do so.
Instead, he allegedly rode in a dangerous manner to evade the officer by cutting across two lanes and a chevron marking on an expressway divider.
LTA enforcement officer Zdulfika Ahakasah, 26, crashed his motorcycle while chasing the accused near an expressway exit and died in hospital.
A video of the incident posted on the SG Road Vigilante Facebook page shows the motorcyclist being pursued making a sudden swerve to the right and cutting into the path of a lorry. Mr Zdulfika follows closely behind before crashing his motorcycle into a road divider.
The youth is also accused of having a samurai sword in his possession in a Woodlands flat at around 6.30pm that day.
On July 18, he was handed a seventh charge, accusing him of giving details of his Singpass account to an unknown person on messaging platform Telegram in 2023.
He had allegedly been promised loans of $300 for the information.
Court documents did not disclose if he eventually received the money.
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