A motorist who reversed
his car into a taxi and claimed that the taxi hit him instead was
jailed for reckless driving and insurance fraud.
In a road rage, an angry driver reversed his car into a
stationary taxi. He then claimed that the taxi hit him, and tried
to cheat the insurance company.
31-year old sales manager Melvyn Chua Tong Ling was sentenced to
four months jail. His lie was unveiled as the whole incident was
recorded by the in-car camera in the taxi.
The road rage row took place at 6:30pm on 10th January last year.
While Chua stopped to pick up his son on Ang Mo Kio Street 44, taxi
driver Ng Chor Foo overtook him on the narrow lane by going onto
the lane meant for oncoming traffic. Chua had tried to move off
when the taxi cut in front of him, sparking an argument.
Cabby Ng tried to avoid the rage row by driving away, but Chua
chased and overtook him, and slammed on his brakes to force the cab
to stop. He then back up and crashed into the taxi. When the Police
arrived, Chua claimed that the taxi crashed into him, while cabbie
Ng reported otherwise. They both went on to claim from their
insurance.
Chua pleaded guilty to charges of reckless driving, endangering the
safety of both his son and the taxi driver and fraud claims made on
his insurer.
For driving rashly, the maximum penalty is a jail term of up to six
months, up to $2,000 fine, or both. Attempting to cheat carries a
jail term of up to five years and a fine of $5,000.
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A sales manager, who was fetching his six-year-old son home,
deliberately reversed his car into a stationary taxi. The next day,
Melvyn Chua Tong Ling, 31, lied in an insurance claim that the cab
had rear-ended him in January last year.
He was jailed for four months on Wednesday. He had pleaded
guilty on March 19 to driving rashly and endangering the safety of
his son and cabby Ng Chor Foo, and to attempting to cheat First
Capital Insurance of $11,463 with the false insurance claim.
District Judge Eddy Tham said that it was very fortunate that Mr
Ng, 55, had captured the incident on the camera in his taxi. The
footage was screened in court at last month's hearing.
It showed that at 6.30pm on Jan 10 last year, Chua stopped his
car along Ang Mo Kio Street 44 to pick up his son. As it was a
narrow road, Mr Ng overtook the Chua's car by going into the right
lane for oncoming traffic. Just then, Chua tried to move off but
had to brake suddenly when he saw the taxi moving left in front of
him. It then stopped some distance ahead to let a passenger
disembark. Chua sped forward and swore at Mr Ng for cutting into
his lane.
Wishing to avoid a confrontation, the cabby drove off. Chua
pursued him and after overtaking the taxi, he jammed his brakes,
forcing the cab to stop. Chua then reversed his vehicle into the
front of the taxi. The next day, Chua put in his fraudulent claim
at Ah Lim Motor Company in Ang Mo Kio.