Call for nature turns fatal for ex-gangster

SINGAPORE - He was a former associate of the notorious "One-eyed Dragon", and a man who twice escaped the gallows and was released from jail two years ago.

In one final twist to his colourful life, Mr Ngoi Yew Fatt was killed in a road accident earlier this year involving two Traffic Police motorcyles - all because he insisted on urinating along the Tampines Expressway (TPE).

At a coroner's inquest into his death on Wednesday, the court heard that the 54-year-old had attended a Chinese New Year chap goh mei function in Tampines on Feb 24.

He got drunk and was being driven home in a Mercedes- Benz by his friend, Mr Boon Tian Say, 59. After passing the Ikea furniture store along the TPE, Mr Ngoi suddenly asked the driver to stop because he needed to pee.

Mr Boon was reluctant to do so because it was dangerous but Mr Ngoi grabbed his neck from behind in a headlock while repeatedly shouting the phrase pangjio, or urinate in Hokkien.

A fearful Mr Boon stopped the car on the road shoulder. Mr Ngoi got out and dashed across the four- lane highway in a zig-zag manner towards oncoming traffic.

He made it to the expressway's central divider and was walking back when he was hit by two Traffic Police motorcyles in the second lane.

The first rider was Sergeant Mark Tan Ewi Zhi, 24. He was followed by Sgt Nazir Jaffar, 25. Both were then travelling at about 100kmh because they were trying to catch up with two cars that were swerving in and out of traffic.

On impact, Sgt Nazir and Mr Ngoi were flung to the right and hit a stationary sports utility vehicle. Sgt Nazir suffered mild abrasions but Mr Ngoi, who had three times the legal limit of alcohol in his blood, was pronounced dead at the scene.

The inquiry also heard that a sedative, phenazepam, was found in Mr Ngoi's blood.

Chinese daily Shin Min reported earlier this year that Mr Ngoi was arrested together with Tan Chor Jin - known as the One-eyed Dragon - in Kuala Lumpur in 2006. Tan was a convicted murderer and triad leader who was hanged in 2009.

Mr Ngoi was charged with arms offences in Malaysia but was acquitted and extradited to Singapore in 2009.

He was then charged with a 2005 murder but this was changed to causing grievous hurt. He was sentenced to two years and nine months in jail and released in 2011.