By Elena Chong & Khushwant Singh

WONG Heng Chiang had many choices that night in May 2007 when he drove his Toyota Vios into a crowded bus stop on Penang Road and hurt six women, several of them badly.

But he made all the wrong ones - choosing to drink, then drive, and speed along a city road.

On Thursday, Wong, 30, was sentenced to jail for 15 months and disqualified from driving for 10 years for his reckless and dangerous actions.

It was a higher jail term than the 12 months sought by the prosecution.

District Judge Jill Tan said: 'He did not need to drive that night, if he knew he was going to drink. If he was going to drive, he should have limited his alcohol intake. When he did drive, he need not have done so at such an excessive speed.

'These were his choices - he drank, he drove and he sped.'

Madam Tan Hong Eng was one of the six people hurt when Wong rammed his car into the bus stop where they were. She suffered fractures to her head, ribs and ankle, and needed to have her spleen removed. She was in hospital for three months and now needs a cane to walk and take painkillers three times a day.

She agreed with the prosecution that the benchmark jail term of three weeks to two months for the drink driving charge would not do in this case. She gave him three months instead and banned him from driving for four years for that charge - serving notice to other drivers to take seriously the Traffic Police's warnings against drink driving and speeding. He received another 12 months' jail and a further six-year driving ban for driving dangerously and causing grievous hurt.

'The message that drink driving and irresponsible dangerous driving will not be tolerated bears repeating,' said the judge.

Wong had had three glasses of wine with a friend that night and was driving at likely double the 50kmh speed limit on Penang Road.

The commuters, she said, were 'blameless victims who have had to suffer the harsh consequences of one man's ill-considered actions'.

One of them, retiree Tan Hong Eng, suffered fractures to her head, ribs and ankle, and needed to have her spleen removed. She was in hospital for three months.

Even now, she needs a cane to walk and takes painkillers three times a day.

Wong failed a breathalyser test at the scene, and was just below the legal limit in a second test taken 90 minutes later.

Deputy Public Prosecutor Christina Koh called his actions 'appalling and reckless'. He did not exercise a 'whit of caution, good sense, moderation or prudence' that night.

Wong got 15 months' jail, three more than the prosecution asked for.

Wong's lawyers Subhas Anandan, Anthony Lim and Sunil Sudheesan said in mitigation that their client still had nightmares about the accident, suffers from stress and depression, and has since become a recluse.

But Judge Tan had little sympathy, saying: 'This was the result of his series of irresponsible actions that night, and he must bear the consequences.'

She said a deterrent sentence was needed as repeated warnings by the Traffic Police to not drink and drive, and against speeding, seemed to have 'fallen on many deaf ears'.

Wong displayed no emotion after the sentencing. His lawyers told reporters later that he might appeal.

In court yesterday were his father and two friends. One of them, Mr Mohd Ezam, who is self-employed, said: 'He has been very deeply stressed and become very quiet because of the incident.'

Wong escaped unhurt, but six commuters were not as fortunate, the judge said.

Aside from Madam Tan, three other women suffered serious injuries which have affected their mobility.

Madam Tan, who lives with her husband in a three-room flat in St George's Lane, said: 'Once, I was free to take walks around my estate, go marketing, cook food for my family by myself, as well as pursue my leisure activities. Now this is no longer possible.'

She is not able to stand or even sit for more than 20 minutes before needing to rest on her bed. She cannot even bathe herself or sleep well. Her 76-year-old husband, a retired bus driver, hired an Indonesian maid to take care of her.

'The constant pain I'm suffering does not allow me to forgive or forget,' she told The Straits Times.

elena@sph.com.sg

khush@sph.com.sg

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