On Jun. 4, 2022, in the wee hours, a man drove an Audi into three cyclists along Nicoll Highway.

The three injured cyclists were a 48-year-old man and a 47-year-old couple. They were riding in a group with two other people.

The driver, Mohamed Akhtar Yusoff Marican, drove away instead of stopping to help.

On Aug. 16, 2024, the 41-year-old was sentenced to eight months and four weeks in jail, fined S$5,000, and banned from holding all classes of driving licences for seven years.

He claimed he did not recall hitting them.

What happened

According to Shin Min Daily News, the accident occurred at 2:06am on Jun. 4 along Nicoll Highway.

Akhtar had drunk four glasses of Chivas mixed with water at a bar at 11pm the previous night.

After drinking, he left the bar in his Audi.

The three cyclists were riding on the leftmost lane of Nicoll highway towards Guillemard Road at 1:50am.

The couple was riding side-by-side, and the other man was riding behind him. The trio all wore appropriate safety gear and had night lights on.

Akhtar was driving in the middle lane of Nicoll Highway but suddenly switched from the second lane to the third lane.

He hit the man first, causing him to be thrown off his bike and fall face-first onto the road.

The Audi then hit the couple. The husband fell forward while the wife was thrown off the bicycle and slammed into a roadblock.

Akhtar apparently did not realise that he had hit anyone in his inebriated state despite the windshield cracking from the impact.

He then sped away from the scene.

Other riders from the group called for an ambulance.

Another group of cyclists and two other drivers also stopped to assist the group in calling the police and directing traffic at the scene.

Breathalyser test

Akhtar continued driving after the accident and only realised that his windshield was cracked when he reached Sims Road.

He stopped the car and contacted a friend to inform him of the situation.

The traffic police soon found his parked car at 2:44am, and noticed a strong smell of alcohol on Muhammad.

When he was taken back to police headquarters for a breathalyser test, his blood alcohol levels were found to be 89 micrograms of alcohol for every 100 millilitres of breath, more than twice the legal alcohol limit.

One victim suffered multiple fractures

The man who was thrown off his bike first suffered multiple fractures to his left hand, ankle, face and ribs after the incident.

He underwent orthopaedic surgery and was hospitalised for 52 days.

The couple suffered minor injuries and were discharged on the same day. However, the wife was given an extra 13 days of sick leave for persistent headaches.

The damaged bicycles cost over S$4,000 in total to repair.

According to CNA, the prosecutor highlighted the severity of the victims' injuries and property damage to the bicycles.

The prosecutor said that it was "especially dangerous" that there were also other cyclists during the period, and there was "no good reason" for Akhtar to drive home after drinking.

Shin Min reported that the lawyer said during mitigation that Akhtar wants to apologise to the victims and will carry the guilt for the rest of his life.

Top photo via Shin Min Daily News