A SENIOR citizen whose reported collision with five motorcyclists was recorded on a car cam video that went viral faces up to five years’ imprisonment after she was charged with reckless driving in a traffic magistrate court in Penang.
The 76-year-old retired police clerk pleaded not guilty when the charge was read out.
She is accused of mowing down three motorcyclists and two pillion riders near the rear gate of the Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) campus along Jalan Bukit Gambir last November.
Tan Leuk Ley, 76, was charged with three counts of reckless and dangerous driving under Section 42 of the Road Transport Act 1987.
It carries maximum jail term of five years, a fine of between RM5,000 and RM15,000, and a two-year disqualification from handling any vehicle.
She allegedly crashed her Myvi car into the three motorcyclists and two pillion riders at Jalan Bukit Gambir on November 27.
The victims were listed as Afiq Roszani, 23; Nor Ezrie Ahamad, 40; Irfan Hakim Nor Ezrie, 15; Syamil Zulkarnain, 22; and Kristina Abdullah, 22.
All five were injured. Some of them were believed to be USM students.
Magistrate Siti Nurul Suhaila Baharin set bail at RM15,000 with one surety after Tan's counsel Dev Kumaraendran pleaded for a lower sum because the former clerk was fully cooperative with the police, and in consideration of her advanced age.
Deputy public prosecutor Nurul Atikah Asharaf Ali had earlier pressed the court to set bail of RM10,000 for each of the three charges.
Dev sought to mitigate by noting that his client was a former police administration personnel, who served the Royal Malaysian Police for thirty years at its state contingent headquarters.
She was apparently forced to opt for retirement after suffering from tinnitus, a health complication in her ears.
Siti Nurul fixed March 8 for mention.
The case has received widespread attention due to the viral video, apparently taken from the car’s dash cam. It showed a vehicle crashing into the motorcyclists on the left-most lane of the road during heavy traffic. – The Vibes, January 18, 2024
