BUKIT MERTAJAM – A trainee hair stylist has been slapped with a three-year prison sentence by the magistrates’ court here for reckless driving leading to the death of his friend at the Penang Bridge two years ago.
M. Vaitheswaran, 23, was found guilty by sessions court judge Ahzal Fariz Ahmad Khairuddin, who was sitting in the magistrate court for this case.
Apart from the jail term, the court also fined the young man RM10,000 or, in lieu, imprisonment for 12 months.
Vaitheswaran stood motionless when the punishment was read out. He also had his driving licence suspended for five years.
Ahzal, in reading his judgment said that the prosecution had proven beyond reasonable doubt that the accused drove recklessly, and this led to a crash and subsequent drowning of the victim.
Defence counsel K. Paramanathan in seeking for leniency told the court that the accused was just a 20-year-old when the tragedy unfolded.
“In this case, the deceased was a friend of the accused, and the death was a trauma, which will remain with him forever. I appeal to the court for a lighter punishment,” Paramanathan said.
Deputy public prosecutor Mohammad Nazri Abdul Rahim argued that the case was of public interest and has received much media coverage.
He said Vaitheswaran’s refusal to admit guilt from the onset had wasted the court’s time and cost, as well as that of the prosecution’s.
“Taking into consideration the frequency of such cases, we press for a heavy sentence. More so, this case involved someone’s death. The victim’s parents are distraught,” he said.
Paramanathan then requested the court for a stay of execution for the jail sentence and notified the court that the family would pay the fine.
“We will be submitting an appeal tomorrow,” he said.
Ahzal rejected Paramanathan’s request for a stay of execution and the bailiffs appeared to escort the accused to jail.
Vaitheswaran was charged with causing the death of Moey Yun Peng, then 20, who was at KM4 of the Penang Bridge (Prai-bound) about 3am on Jan 20, 2019.
He was charged under Section 41(1) of the Road Transport Act 1987, which carries a maximum jail term of 10 years and a fine of up to RM20,000, if convicted.
In the incident, the Mazda CX-5 sports utility vehicle driven by Moey plunged into the sea after it collided with the Toyota Vios driven by the accused.
A dashcam video of the incident showed the car driven by Vaitheswaran speeding waveringly on the bridge before ramming the Mazda CX-5.
The impact pushed the Mazda CX-5 to fly past the bridge’s guardrails and fall into the Penang Channel.
The car with Moey’s body inside, found underwater below the bridge, was recovered three days later.
The mishap is believed to be the first of its kind on the bridge since it was opened 37 years ago. – The Vibes, January 27, 2022
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