A 15-year-old boy who drove without a licence and caused a multi-vehicle crash that claimed five lives in Kuching has pleaded guilty to reckless driving.
His father, in his late 30s, also admitted to negligence for allowing the teenager to drive unsupervised and was fined RM15,000 and ordered to perform 100 hours of community service over six months.
The boy entered his guilty plea before Magistrate Ling Hui Chuan, who fixed 17 June for sentencing, pending a probation report from the prosecution. The father was sentenced by Senior Assistant Registrar Noraini Ahmad after admitting to failing to prevent his underage son from driving.
The fatal collision occurred on 14 January along Jalan Stutong, near the highway to Kuching International Airport. Police investigations confirmed the boy’s car veered into the opposite lane, slamming into two other cars and two motorcycles.
Four people aged between 16 and 45 died at the scene. A 16-year-old passenger succumbed to his injuries later in hospital. Four others were hospitalised with varying injuries.
The boy, deemed an illegal driver under Malaysian law due to the minimum driving age of 17, faces charges under the Road Transport Act 1987 for reckless and dangerous driving causing death. The offence carries a sentence of five to ten years in prison and a fine between RM20,000 and RM50,000.
The Sarawak Fire and Rescue Department responded to the incident after receiving an emergency call. “Four victims died on site. Medics confirmed the deaths upon arrival,” the department said in a statement.
Images from the crash site showed severe devastation: two vehicles were mangled beyond recognition, one car overturned in a drain, and another was flung into roadside bushes. Both motorcycles were also heavily damaged.
Kuching district police chief ACP Alexson Naga Chabu had confirmed yesterday that investigations under Section 41(1) of the Road Transport Act 1987 had concluded, with the case files now reviewed by federal prosecutors in Putrajaya.
“The AG’s Chambers has decided that the teenager will be charged with two offences; Section 41(1) for causing death by reckless driving and Section 39(1) for underaged driving (below 16 years of age),” he said in a statement.
The boy’s father, aged 35, will also face legal consequences. He has been charged under Section 33(1)(a) of the Child Act 2001 for failing to provide reasonable supervision, which enabled the teenager to drive unlawfully. - May 14, 2025
