A CABBY who
crashed into 10 cars in one night has been banned from
the road for three years and sentenced to two years
of mandatory psychiatric treatment.
Tan Khim
Seng, alias Muhammad Khairul Tan Abdullah, was
arrested after the wrecking spree on Dec 12, 2011 – with
police having to smash his cab’s window to arrest the
struggling motorist.
The
51-year-old admitted to 10 of 49 charges, mostly traffic-related,
which occurred from December 2010 to December 2011. His lawyer told
the court the father of one has had a chronic, relapsing
psychiatric disorder since 1993.
Proceeding
on a charge from July 2011, Deputy Public Prosecutor Krystle Chiang
told how Tan, who worked for Trans-Cab, failed to stop after
driving carelessly and grazing a car in Little India. Eight days
later, he cut into the path of a cab, then reversed into it several
times before driving off.
Tan's
10-car rampage began when he was driving along Tampines Avenue 5,
where he flashed his headlights at a car before inching into its
lane, grazing the side of it.
After
overtaking, he slammed on his brakes so the vehicle rammed into the
back of his cab. Tan got out and yelled at the driver. He leaned
through the window, grabbed the man's neck and held his fist to his
cheek - but left after failing to open his door.
Forty-five
minutes later, after colliding with a taxi, he used a windscreen
wiper to smash its lights and windscreens. A patrol car spotted
Tan's cab on Jurong Canal Drive at around 11.30pm. When the police
tried to pull alongside, Tan swerved into their path, beating the
red lights at a pedestrian crossing and scattering people as they
tried to cross.
Tan beat
another set of lights, then turned onto the Pan-Island Expressway
but drove very slowly, causing others to brake. He was arrested at
Boon Lay Avenue, where he grabbed a policeman and snapped off his
lanyard.
That night
he committed 27 offences. His lawyer, Mr Abdul Salim A. Ibrahim,
who acted for him voluntarily, said Tan, a Muslim convert, had
bipolar affective disorder which was diagnosed after a painful
divorce. He said: "As a result, he is easily prone to get upset
over minor incidents."
He added
that his client does not intend to drive again.
