SINGAPORE – A 22-year-old man has been sentenced to eight weeks’ jail on Thursday (June 16) and banned from driving for five years after the minibus he was driving collided into a motorcycle, killing both the rider and his wife. 

Nigel John Retnam, 22, did not have the requisite licence to drive a minibus, but he decided to borrow the vehicle from a friend anyway and drive it to visit his father in hospital.

According to court documents, Retnam’s father had overdosed on pills on July 19 last year and was admitted to the Institute of Mental Health.

Hoping to visit his father, Retnam asked to borrow a friend’s 11-seater minibus. The friend asked if he had a vocational driving licence, and he replied no. Still, the friend handed over the keys.

Around 2.30pm that day, Retnam was driving the minibus in the second lane of a four-lane road along Yishun Avenue 2 towards Canberra Link. While changing lanes at about 50kmh, he failed to keep a proper lookout and collided into a motorcycle.

The motorcycle was driven by deliveryman Wong Sang Min, 63. His wife Ng Soo Kiew, 60, was riding pillion.

The impact of the collision caused their motorcycle to smash into a Hyundai car travelling in front and they were flung off the motorcycle.

Mr Wong died on the spot, while Mdm Ng died in hospital three days later.

The car’s passenger Zaharah Haji Mohamed Yasir, 41, hit the dashboard and suffered a chest fracture.

Vehicle damage reports showed that the motorcycle’s front headlamp was ripped off, while the rear right signal light was scratched and twisted. The front bumper of the minivan was cracked and dented.

Retnam’s lawyer, S. S. Dhillon, argued that his client had made a “pure human error... amounting to negligence”. He had also checked on Mr Wong and Mdm Ng after the collision, and waited for the police to arrive at the scene.

In an appeal letter, Member of Parliament Muhammad Faishal Ibrahim said that Retnam, who is a resident in his constituency, had been on his way to visit his father at IMH. “Nigel was very upset then and he broke down prior to the accident. When he realised what had happened and went down to examine the victims of the accident, he was traumatised and felt very guilty,” Assoc Prof Faishal wrote.

Deputy Public Prosecutor Sarah Ong pointed out that there was alternative transport options available, and two deaths had arose as a result of Retnam’s negligence.