SINGAPORE: Former local actor Edmund Chen was sentenced to five days' jail and banned from driving for five years on Thursday (Jan 29) for slowing down abruptly on an expressway such that a motorcyclist collided with him and sustained fractures. The judge imposed a jail term, saying he did not agree with the fine called for by both the prosecution and defence. Chen appeared solemn in the dock when he heard the sentence. The judge said there was a "high degree of carelessness" and a sustained period of inattention in Chen's actions, and that he was "deliberately cavalier about certain mitigable risks". Chen, named in court papers as Tan Kai Yuan, pleaded guilty to one count of driving a vehicle without reasonable consideration for other road users, resulting in grievous hurt. The court heard that Chen, a 63-year-old Singaporean, was driving along Ayer Rajah Expressway towards the direction of Central Expressway at about noon on Mar 4, 2025. He was on lane 4 of the four-lane road as he approached a split in the road where two lanes led to Keppel Road and the other two towards the CTE-Seletar Expressway (SLE). Chen had intended to drive towards CTE-SLE via lanes 1 and 2, but did not move into the correct lanes ahead of time. By the time he realised this, he was already headed towards the split road leading to Keppel Road. Chen tried to enter the second lane by braking abruptly such that his car slowed down and almost came to a complete stop. The victim, a 21-year-old motorcyclist, was in the fourth lane behind Chen. He was unable to swerve to avoid Chen's car and collided with the rear left portion of the vehicle. When the collision occurred, Chen was filtering across the third lane and across the white chevron markings, which is a breach of traffic regulations. After the accident, he stopped his car and helped the victim, who was taken to hospital. The prosecution played footage of the incident from the rear of Chen's car and from his in-car camera, which captured him uttering to himself when the sound of the collision was heard. Edmund Chen waves to reporters at the State Courts on Jan 29, 2026. (Photo: CNA/Marcus Mark Ramos) As a result of the accident, the motorcyclist's front headlamp was dislodged and cracked, and the right side of his motorcycle was also scratched. The victim sustained multiple fractures in his right hand and wrist and underwent surgery. He was given 99 days' hospitalisation leave but suffered no permanent injury. Chen appeared in court flanked by his lawyers, Mr Josephus Tan and Mr Cory Wong from Invictus Law. He greeted reporters on the steps outside the State Courts and put on glasses to read his court documents. He was allowed to sit while the prosecution and defence put forth their sentencing arguments. SENTENCING ARGUMENTS Chen's lawyers sought not more than a S$3,000 fine and not more than five years' disqualification from driving. Former actor Edmund Chen (right) with his lead lawyer, Mr Josephus Tan, at the State Courts ahead of his hearing on Jan 29, 2026. (Photo: CNA/Marcus Mark Ramos) Mr Tan said Chen had signalled his intention early on to switch from the left to the right lane and he was not speeding. The lawyer added that Chen had a "momentary lapse of judgment" but he stopped his vehicle and "did the necessary". He also gave his fullest cooperation to the authorities and wanted to plead guilty on the spot when he was first charged, said Mr Tan. He added that Chen's last driving conviction was "way back" in October 2013. He said Chen has had to face the court of public opinion and has lost many opportunities such as projects since he was charged. "He has suffered quite a bit of a backlash from the last hearing till now," said Mr Tan. District Judge Shawn Ho repeatedly questioned Mr Tan about his submission that Chen had only a momentary lapse of judgment. He questioned how the series of events could be characterised that way if it involved an abrupt slowing down, allowing a car to pass, then filtering sharply across. Mr Tan pointed to the video footage and said that while it may seem that way on paper, the video showed that everything happened in seconds. Deputy Public Prosecutor Stephen Yeo sought a fine of S$3,000 to S$5,000 for Chen, along with five years' disqualification from driving. He noted that the victim did suffer grievous hurt in terms of the fractures and the hurt caused was not as "muted" as the defence said. After deliberating for more than half an hour, Judge Ho said he disagreed with both sides on the fine they were asking for. He said Chen had flouted traffic rules by changing lanes across chevron markings. There was a high degree of carelessness, and his actions showed a "sustained period of inattention", with Chen being "deliberately cavalier about certain mitigable risks". "His actions are intentional violations of specific safety rules designed to prevent high-speed collisions," said Judge Ho. He said the risks Chen took were "clearly mitigable" if he had simply followed traffic rules and exited at the next opportunity instead of "forcing" the manoeuvre. The judge granted Chen's request to defer his sentence to March for Chinese New Year and also for him to settle work and family matters. Members of the media surround Edmund Chen as he attempts to leave after speaking briefly outside the State Courts on Jan 29, 2025. (Photo: CNA/Lydia Lam) Speaking to reporters about an hour after he was sentenced, Chen apologised for what had happened and for the inconvenience he had caused. With tears in his eyes, he said in Mandarin that he would like to apologise to the motorcyclist but felt heartened that he had recovered. He declined to comment when asked if he was going to appeal. For driving without due consideration for other road users, resulting in grievous hurt, he could have been jailed for up to two years, fined up to S$5,000, or both. Source: CNA/ll

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