A local man who denied running over a roadside worker was sentenced to five years and eight months’ jail on Tuesday after prosecutors proved the case beyond reasonable doubt.
Pengiran Narudin bin Pengiran Haji Nor Abidin, 46, was also disqualified from driving for life.
Chief Magistrate Pengiran Hajah Norismayanti binti Pengiran Haji Ismail was satisfied that Prosecutors Hajah Siti Mu’izzah binti Haji Sabli and Kamal Ariffin bin Ismail had proven the case against Pengiran Narudin.
The defendant was charged with dangerous driving causing death and consuming methylamphetamine.
He pleaded guilty to consuming the drugs and denied the road traffic charge. The court found the defendant guilty of causing the death by driving dangerously on November 11. The defendant sought for leniency in sentencing.
However, the court weighed on the gravity of the offence which poses a significant risk to the safety and well-being of the public. The defendant had claimed that he had blurry vision, admitting to being under the influence and his otherwise usual driving arrangement of having his wife assist him by his passenger side.
He also admitted that his car tyres were bald and had weak brakes.
Among other endangering facts, the court took into account the “irreversible harm caused by the defendant’s actions and the profound impact on the victim’s family and the community”.
The case is linked to a viral CCTV recording at the Sultan Haji Omar ‘Ali Saifuddien Bridge showing the defendant running over the 35-year-old victim while driving dangerously down the bridge where the victim and some colleagues were on duty at 10.20pm on August 8, 2020. The defendant was found to be on methylamphetamine after tests were done to his urine sample following his arrest. – Fadley Faisal
