[ad_1]
SINGAPORE: A man who left his home to buy durians with a friend during the “circuit breaker”, when all social gatherings were banned, was later caught by surprise when his friend recorded the speedometer and posted an incriminating clip on social media.
Nazar-Rushdy Nazar Rosly, 21, was fined S $ 3,000 and a one-year driving ban was imposed in court on Monday (November 9).
He pleaded guilty to one count of dangerous driving and one count of violating a COVID-19 regulation by meeting an outsider for a social purpose: buying durians.
A third charge was taken into consideration for leaving your home during the circuit breaker to meet someone else.
The court heard that Nazar-Rushdy drove his car down the Central Expressway to the Seletar Expressway at 11:30 pm on May 9 at dangerous speed.
He drove at a speed of 160 km / h on a stretch of road where the speed limit was 90 km / h, the prosecutor said.
The Nazar-Rushdy front passenger filmed the speedometer, which showed a speed of 160 km / h, and shared it on social media.
Investigations revealed that Nazar-Rushdy had met his friend for a social purpose that day to shop for durians together on Sims Avenue.
The circuit breaker was in effect at the time, with strict rules prohibiting people from leaving their homes for non-essential purposes as part of measures to slow the spread of COVID-19 in Singapore.
The prosecutor asked for a fine of at least S $ 3,000 and a driving ban of at least 12 months.
Nazar-Rushdy initially objected to the speed of 160 km / h indicated in the statement of facts, saying that he admitted to speeding but not at that speed.
The prosecutor played the clip taken by Nazar-Rushdy’s friend, which shows the speedometer reflecting a speed of 160 km / h.
Nazar-Rushdy eventually accepted the indicated speed and pleaded guilty.
He asked for clemency, saying he has been under investigation for six months because of this case and lost his job.
He now works as a valet driver and urged the judge to lower or postpone the driving ban.
The judge said he could not postpone the ban and said he was “very firm with those who choose to accelerate during the circuit breaker.”
“I also don’t see why there is a reason to film these acts and post them on social media,” said District Judge Lorraine Ho. “It’s not something very fun or something we encourage and certainly this is something you should be ashamed of (doing).”
She warned Nazar-Rushdy that if she kept driving despite her driving ban, she would receive a custody sentence or a short jail sentence.
The prosecutor requested the return of the seized vehicle, which is believed to belong to Nazar-Rushdy’s father.
For violating a COVID-19 regulation, you could have been jailed for up to six months, fined up to S $ 10,000, or both.
For dangerous driving, he could have been jailed for up to a year, fined up to S $ 5,000 and banned from driving.
CHECK THIS: Our comprehensive coverage of the coronavirus outbreak and its developments
Download our app or subscribe to our Telegram channel for the latest updates on the coronavirus outbreak: https://cna.asia/telegram
