Man, 37, hits pedestrian in Raffles Place & leaves him for dead, gets Mercedes towed to workshop

A 37-year-old Mercedes-Benz driver, Koh Chew Wa, who hit a pedestrian while speeding and drove off without helping, has been sentenced to one year in jail and banned from driving for eight years following his release.

The pedestrian, a 26-year-old pharmacist, Davin Ng, was left lying in a pool of blood and eventually died in hospital, according to court documents seen by Mothership.

Koh had been driving at a speed of between 70km/h and 97km/h at the time of the accident along Church Street on Oct. 29, 2022.

He pleaded guilty to one charge of careless driving, another charge for failing to give assistance after being involved in a road accident, and a third charge of perverting the course of justice.

Two other charges of failing to stop and moving his car from the scene of the accident were also considered in sentencing.

How did the accident unfold?

Court documents stated that at about midnight on Oct. 29, 2022, Koh was driving from Sim Lim Tower towards a pub near Oxley Tower with a friend.

He was driving on the second-lane of Church Street, a five-lane road, towards Cecil Street.

The traffic light was in his favour.

However, he failed to slow down while nearing a signalised traffic junction and also failed to keep a lookout and ended up crashing into Ng, who was making his crossing in the middle of the second lane.

The collision sent Ng flying upwards, before landing on the first lane and rolling towards the kerb.

Meanwhile, Koh, was asked by his passenger what had happened and to stop the vehicle.

However, Koh did not respond and continued driving for five minutes towards the car park of URA Centre.

He then parked his car there and took a private-hire vehicle with the passenger to the passenger's home.

Ng was conveyed by ambulance to Singapore General Hospital at 1:12am.

He was pronounced dead at 3:30am.

Accused attempted to conceal his involvement in accident by having his car repaired

Later in the day, sometime before noon, Koh decided to tow his car to a car repair workshop.

He called the general manager of a workshop, and said he had been involved in an accident and will be arranging for his vehicle to be towed there.

Court documents said Koh did this in order to conceal evidence of his involvement in the accident.

Koh was eventually informed by a worker at the workshop that he had to lodge a police report.

Koh acknowledged this but asked for repair works to commence as he needed his car for work.

When the general manager gave Koh his assessment of the damages, he asked the accused if he had made an accident report with his insurer.

Koh lied that he had done so.

He did not lodge a police or accident report.

His car was towed away by the police at 5pm on the same day.

No repair works had been performed on the vehicle, which had a cracked windshield and a dented front bonnet and bumper.

He was arrested and his driving licence was suspended two days later on Oct. 31, 2022.

Prosecution: Koh's act was "egregious"

The prosecution called for a jail term of 12 to 16 months and an eight-year driving ban for Koh.

They described Koh's act as "egregious" as he had seen the victim just before the collision, knew he had collided with Ng, but did not stop to render assistance.

In addition, he had continued driving away from the scene of the accident despite being asked by the passenger what had happened and to stop the car.

The prosecution was further quoted by CNA as saying, "(Koh) chose to not face up to the consequences of his actions and fled, leaving (Ng) to fight for his life along the road."

The prosecutor also said Koh's act of perverting the course of justice was premediated as he had called the workshop and arranged for the car to be towed.

During his mitigation plea, Koh's lawyer, Christopher Bridges, pointed out that the victim had been jaywalking and Koh had the right of way.

In response, the prosecution said they had already taken this into consideration in their proposed sentence.

Koh will start his jail sentence on Jan. 31, 2025 and remains out on bail at S$15,000. His passport has also been seized.

For careless driving causing death, the penalty is a jail term of up to three years, a fine of up to S$10,000, or both.

For failing to give assistance after being involved in an accident causing death, injury or damage, the penalty is a jail term of up to a year, a fine of up to S$3,000, or both.

As for perverting the course of justice, the penalty is a jail term of up to seven years, a fine, or both.

Top photos via court document and Google Maps