Man, 63, who drove car into Sin Ming preschool fined S$1,500 & barred from driving for 6 months

A 63-year-old driver, Henry Lee Khiam Beng, has been given the maximum fine of S$1,500 after he drove his car into a preschool in Sin Ming on June 12, 2023, according to a Straits Times (ST) report.

He has also been disqualified from driving for six months.

What happened

On Monday, June 12 2023, shortly before 10:30am, Lee, a private-hire driver, drove to Lumens, a car rental company, at Midview City for a car inspection.

Upon arriving at the Midview City carpark around 10:30am, he attempted to park outside Maple Bear (Midview City) preschool.

While positioning the car to reverse into a parking lot, Lee failed to shift the gear from "Drive" to "Reverse".

So when he continued pressing the accelerator with his right foot, it caused the car to lurch forward and crash into the glass wall of the preschool.

The impact completely shattered one glass panel.

The entire incident was captured by an exterior CCTV.

At the time of the incident, the preschool was in session.

Three five-year-old children were seated behind a bookshelf next to the glass wall when the car crashed.

The crash caused a bookshelf to fall onto one child’s right shoulder. Shards of glass scattered near the three children, who were visibly shocked.

The injured child was taken to KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital for a medical examination, with medical expenses totaling S$135,

The damage to the preschool amounted to S$15,095.

According to ST, Lee contacted the police and informed them that the kids were "scared".

While the prosecution asked for a disqualification period of 12 months, Lee's lawyer asked for a maximum period of three months, citing that being a private-hire driver was the only job Lee could secure to provide for his family.

For committing a negligent act endangering human life, Lee could have been jailed for up to three months in addition to the fine.

Top images via court documents.