S’pore man, 30, jailed 5 years & 8 months after causing death of 18-year-old in racing game on ECP

Update on Jul. 1 at 11:46am: This article has been edited to include a statement from the National University of Singapore (NUS) on Jul. 1.

During a late-night racing game, a driver deliberately swerved into the path of a motorcycle, causing the motorcyclist and pillion rider to be flung off.

The pillion rider, 18-year-old Leann Lim Jia Le, subsequently passed away from her injuries.

Following the accident, the driver, 30-year-old Jarrett Tee Lee Kiat said "she deserved it as she come and push my limit".

He later pleaded guilty to one count of dangerous driving causing the death of Lim, reported CNA.

He was sentenced to five years and eight months in jail on Jun. 27 and also given a driving ban of 10 years.

Another two counts of dangerous driving, one of which took into account the hurt caused to the motorcyclist, 27-year-old Kovan Tan, were taken into consideration for his sentencing.

Racing game

Tee was a part-time chef and social media influencer, according to court documents seen by Mothership.

The documents also stated that Tee was an NUS student at the time of the incident.

However, the university put out a statement on Jul. 1 to clarify that there are no records that Tee was or is a student of NUS.

At the time of the offences, he drove a Mercedes-Benz car, which he rented.

On the night of Feb. 23, 2024, Tee and a man known as Vincent Loh met in Sembawang with two 16-year-old girls Loh had picked up.

The group then cruised separately in Tee's and Loh's cars before agreeing to meet in East Coast Park as the final rendezvous point.

Sometime during the night, Loh picked up Lim's 16-year-old boyfriend. At another point during the night, Tan rode a motorcycle with Lim as a pillion rider.

Blocking and braking games

While driving, Tee began playing a “blocking and braking” game — swerving into Loh’s lane and braking intermittently to force him to slow down.

At one point, Tee had a 16-year-old girl and Lim’s boyfriend in his Mercedes-Benz.

Tee and Tan began racing, with Tee reaching speeds of up to 160km/h as part of the game.

Tan initially took a slip road toward Marine Parade but suddenly cut across the chevron marking to rejoin the ECP.

He entered the third lane, intending to overtake Tee, who was in the same lane.

As this happened, Tee asked his passengers, “"Do you want to see motorcycle fly?”.

In response, Lim’s boyfriend pleaded with him not to.

When Tee saw Tan’s motorcycle overtaking, he swerved to block it, causing his car to swipe the motorcycle.

Both Tan and Lim were flung 5 to 8m away.

Lim was found unresponsive at the scene as she lay on the floor.

Victim had significant brain injury and passed away

Lim was taken to the hospital at about 4:40am on Feb. 24, 2024.

Resuscitative efforts were futile, with doctors assessing that there was "significant brain injury with a poor prognosis that likely could not be reversed". She died at 2:47pm that day.

Meanwhile, Tan sustained abrasions and a laceration on his right hand and was warded for three days and given six days of hospitalisation leave.

Said victim deserved it

Tee told Loh the rider had been "taunting" him by revving the engine, and that Lim had pointed her middle finger at him.

When Loh told him he was “crazy” as he "played with (someone's) life", Tee replied, "she deserved it as she come and push my limit".

Tee also gave a false statement that the motorcycle had been tailgating and "high-beaming" him, and that he changed lanes to give way, only for the bike to speed up and collide.

After being released on bail in February 2024, Tee told Loh he wasn’t afraid, saying "Who ask her to pissed (sic) me off".

No remorse

The prosecution sought a jail term of 51 months to 68 months, referring to victim impact statements from Lim's father and stepmother, CNA reported.

The prosecutor also highlighted Tee's lack of remorse for causing Lim's death, pointing out the stark contrast in comparison to efforts made by a witness, the Singapore Civil Defence Force officers and staff at Changi General Hospital to save Lim's life.

"To put it mildly, the accused was in no way remorseful for his actions," the prosecutor said.

A macho facade: Defence

Meanwhile, Tee's lawyer, said his client was a "sorely misguided young man" who was hard-mouthed and wanted to "appear macho" to his friends.

Tee's parents divorced when he was young and he was often alone due to his father working a lot, the lawyer explained.

According to CNA, the lawyer also highlighted that Tee had immediately alighted after the incident to call an ambulance, but being the "hard-mouthed" and "boorish" man that he was, he continued to "talk macho".

"However, Jarrett truly never intended to hurt Kovan and Leann. In truth, Jarrett was just a scared and remorseful man trying to avoid admitting to his friends that he had made a huge mistake", the lawyer said.

Top photo from da_niubee/Instagram