SINGAPORE: A driver allegedly involved in a hit-and-run case that killed a cyclist along the Nicoll Expressway last December was charged in court on Wednesday (Nov 6).

Tan Yong Ren, 34, was slapped with seven charges, including dangerous driving, causing death as a repeat offender, as well as obstructing justice..

A coroner’s court heard on September 19 that Tan was driving against traffic and believed to be drunk when his car collided with 45-year-old cyclist Basra Rajan Singh.

According to charging documents, Tan was previously convicted in 2012 of causing serious injury by an act endangering the life or personal safety of others and causing death by rash or negligent act. Court documents did not provide details about the case.

In its press release Thursday, police said they are was alerted to the accident at 5:10 a.m. on December 19, 2023.

The cyclist was taken unconscious to the hospital, where he later died from his injuries.

“The driver did not stop to render aid to the injured bicyclist, but allegedly fled the scene after the accident,” police said. “He also did not report the accident to the police within 24 hours.”

The identity of the driver was established through ground inquiries and with the help of a witness and video footage from police and Land Transport Authority (LTA) cameras. He was arrested the same day.

Tan was charged on Wednesday with the following offences:

• Dangerous driving as a repeat offender
• Dangerous driving causing death as a repeat offence
• Failure to stop after an accident
• Failure to give up an accident within 24 hours
• Moving the vehicle without the permission of a police officer
• Failure to render assistance to the injured
• Obstruction of the course of justice.

The cyclist, who was from the United Kingdom, was cycling on the Nicoll Freeway towards Guillemard Road in the early hours of December 19 last year.

Footage from a Land Transport Authority camera showed a vehicle traveling against the flow of traffic along the Nicoll Freeway towards Rochor, a coroner’s court heard two months ago.

It showed Mr Singh riding his bike and trying to avoid colliding with the car but to no avail. The head-on collision saw Mr Singh thrown upwards before landing on the road.

According to the investigating officer, Tan said he was “holding a moment” before the collision.

For dangerous driving causing death as a repeat offender, he could be jailed for between four and 15 years.

If convicted of dangerous driving as a repeat offender, he could be fined up to $10,000, jailed for up to two years, or both. The vehicle involved may be subject to confiscation.

The two offenses also carry a penalty of disqualification from driving all classes of vehicles.

The offenses of failing to stop after an accident, failing to report an accident within 24 hours and moving a vehicle without a police officer’s permission each carry a fine of up to $1,000, a jail term of up to three months, or both.