SINGAPORE — After bumping into a stationary car at a traffic light, a driver of a pickup truck fled the scene but collided head on with another car.

The pickup driver, Briton Richard Alexander Cullen, caused the other car to surge backwards some 20 metres. The car driver, general practitioner Caleb Leong Wen Sheng, fractured his spine from the accident on 10 November last year.



Cullen, 45, had earlier pleaded guilty to failing to keep a proper lookout ahead, hence colliding into a stationary car driven by Grab driver Tang Lee Lee. He had also failed to stop after an accident, and drove without reasonable consideration by failing to have proper control over his pickup, causing it to veer into Leong’s car and resulting in the latter’s grievous injury.

The former teacher from an international school in Malaysia is the first to be dealt with under the Road Traffic Act (RTA) for driving without due care or reasonable consideration since its amendments came into effect from November last year.

The amended section takes into account if a driver has caused death or grievous injury through careless or inconsiderate driving, while the original section did not.

Under the original section, an offender who drives without due care or consideration may be fined up to $1,000 and/or jailed up to six months on a first offence.

Under the amendment, an offender who causes grievous hurt by driving carelessly or without consideration may be fined up to $5,000 or jailed up to two years, or both, along with a mandatory five-year minimum disqualification period from driving.

Accordingly, District Judge Lorraine Ho issued a new sentencing framework under the amended section on Monday (13 April) and sentenced Cullen to 10 weeks’ jail and a driving ban of five years from his date of release from prison. He was also fined $1,600 and sentenced to a three-month driving ban for the offence involving Tang, the latter of which took effect on Monday.

Cullen had entered Singapore from Malaysia on 9 November last year - a day before the accident.

On 10 November, at about 9.15am, Tang was sending four passengers, including children, to their destination. As she was driving along Orchard Boulevard, she stopped at the junction before Grange Road at a red light.

Less than 30 seconds later, she felt an impact on the right rear portion of her car. She saw that Cullen’s pickup had collided into her car. After ensuring that her passengers were unharmed, Tang alighted and knocked onto the passenger window of Cullen’s car to speak to him.

After Tang told Cullen that he collided into her car, Cullen replied “nevermind”. Tang then asked Cullen to alight to exchange particulars. Cullen said he would pull over at the side of the road. However once the traffic light turned green, Cullen suddenly drove off, prompting Tang to take a few steps backward to avoid being hit.

At this point, Leong was driving along Tanglin Road towards Orchard Road after the junction of Rochalie Drive and Tanglin Road on a one-lane, two-way road divided by a single white line. While making his getaway, Cullen’s pickup veered across the line at a high speed towards Leong’s car. Leong applied his emergency brakes but was unable to avoid a head-on crash.

The resulting head on collision caused Leong’s car to surge backwards some 20 metres. Tang later drove past the scene of this accident and made a police report.

Leong was conveyed to Singapore General Hospital and treated for a spinal fracture and given 45 days of hospitalisation leave. He still experiences discomfort in daily activities, such as bending forward to cut his nails, which has caused him to put off his sporting activities such as tennis. The doctor has also delayed starting a family due to his physical state and feels anxious about driving since the accident.

Cullen was brought to the same hospital after suffering from abdominal and chest pain from the incident. He claimed that he was unable to remember what happened after the first accident and could not recall the second one.

Investigations carried out on Cullen’s pickup could not yield any possible mechanical failures that could have contributed to the accident. The weather was clear, while the road surface was dry and traffic volume was light.

Cullen’s lawyer T M Sinnadurai told the court that his client was remorseful for his actions. His client, who is married with two daughters, has been unable to meet his family since November due to the matter.

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