By Shaffiq Alkhatib | Posted: 08 February 2011 1416 hrs
SINGAPORE: A 22-year-old student was fined S$2,000
for perverting the course of justice by bribing a property agent to
take the blame for a traffic offence she committed on January 22,
2008.
Evangeline Tay Su Ann could have been jailed up to seven years,
fined or both.
Despite this, her lawyer, Lim Kia Tong, told the court that his
client will still be appealing against her sentence.
Before sentencing the slim, fair-complexioned Tay, District Judge
Jill Tan said that it was not necessary to send the student to
jail.
Tay was suffering from depression at the time of the offence and is
undergoing treatment to address her condition.
Her psychiatrist has also noted an improvement in her condition,
the court heard on Tuesday.
Judge Tan added that Tay has a low risk of re-offending and has
been on the right side of the law since 2008.
Tay, who pleaded guilty to the offence in September last year, had
driven her housemate's car without his consent.
She also did not possess a valid driving licence at the time.
Tay beat a red traffic signal as she was driving at the junction of
Lornie Road and Sime Road.
As a result, her housemate received a summons from the Traffic
Police in February 2008.
Tay approached 39-year-old Kelvin Choo Yew Beng, a former Police
Deputy Superintendent, and asked him to help her out of her
predicament.
He managed to rope in 34-year-old Leung Man Kwan, who received
S$1,000 from Tay for taking the blame on her behalf.
Tay transferred the money to Choo on 19 February 2008 and in turn,
he passed the amount over to Leung via an internet bank
transfer.
Tay had already been fined a total of S$1,900 last year for her
traffic offences.
For their roles in the ruse, Choo was jailed for six months in
March, last year, while Leung was jailed for three months in
2009.
- CNA/fa
