The Public Prosecutor says bus driver Lee Kim Huat @ Lim Hai Tiong did not commit any offence during the Little India riot that happened on Dec. 8.
The driver had been arrested on Dec. 9 to aid in investigations of the fateful incident, during which an Indian national Sakthivel Kumaravelu, lost his life.
The conclusion was made after careful and extensive study of all the evidence, which included relevant video footage of the incident, an independent expert report that had been commissioned for this purpose, witness statements, as well as visits to the incident site by investigators, prosecutors and forensic professionals.
In a statement by the Attorney-General’s Chambers on Feb. 11, it was revealed that the investigations have made clear the sequence of events: Kumaravelu had been asked to alight from the bus due to his misbehaviour. After he had done so, the bus moved off at a low overall speed. Kumaravelu then ran back after the bus in an unsteady manner and attempted to put his right palm on the left side of the moving bus, but fell right into its path.The driver had been maneuvering his way through the Tekka Lane traffic and had been unaware of the man running after the bus.
Said Attorney-General Steven Chong, “The prosecution studied all the relevant facts carefully and concluded that the bus-driver is not criminally liable for the road traffic accident that led to the death of the pedestrian. This was an unfortunate tragic accident, but the prosecution’s duty remains to assess the facts objectively and to apply the law in an even-handed and fair way.”
Photo, source: Channel NewsAsia
