SINGAPORE — Instead of stopping after hitting a pedestrian in Singapore, Safuan Tehda, 35, continued driving towards Tuas Checkpoint and crossed the border. The pedestrian later died in hospital.

The law only caught up with Safuan more than six months later after he was nabbed by Malaysian police and extradited to Singapore. 

Appearing in the State Courts via video link on Wednesday (June 5), Safuan was sentenced to 23 months’ jail and was disqualified from holding or obtaining all classes of driving licences for eight years. 

The former lorry driver had pleaded guilty to three charges. The first charge was for driving a motor vehicle on a road without due care and attention causing death, the second charge was for failing to stop after an accident, and the final charge was for obstruction of justice. 

Three other similar charges were taken into consideration for sentencing. 

Safuan's sentence was backdated to March 15, which was when he was first remanded 

HIT-AND-RUN 

The court heard that Safuan was employed as a driver by Malaysian company The Vanguard Logistics from September 2022 to August 2023. 

On the evening of Aug 24, 2023, he collected medical supplies from a manufacturing plant located at Batu Kawan, Penang and placed the items onto the lorry. 

The next day, Safuan drove the lorry into Singapore at around 7.27am to deliver the medical supplies to a logistics facility at 7 Bulim Street, and then headed towards the Corporation Road slip road into Jurong West Avenue 2 after completing his task.

But along the way, at a zebra crossing at Bulim Avenue, Safuan encountered the 57-year-old victim Goh Eng Loo, who was crossing there at around 9.24am.

Court documents said that Goh had just gone for a job interview. 

Instead of stopping before the zebra crossing, Safuan drove his lorry into Goh, leaving him with serious injuries. 

Despite this, Safuan did not stop to render assistance, even though he was aware that the lorry had collided into Goh as he felt an impact around the rear tyre, the court heard. 

A member of the public also witnessed that Safuan failed to stop the lorry while Goh was crossing, and in-car footage from a stationary vehicle at Jurong West Avenue 2 also captured the accident.

Goh was conscious after the collision and was able to speak to the accident witness, who later asked another member of the public to call the police, the court heard. 

The court heard that Goh was taken to the National University Hospital via ambulance and was found to have suffered a "degloving injury" around his lower abdomen. 

Degloving refers to a severe type of injury where the top layers of skin and tissue are ripped from the underlying muscle and connective tissue. 

Goh was pronounced dead at the hospital more than an hour later, and an autopsy report by the Health Sciences Authority stated that the cause of his death was the multiple injuries consistent with those sustained in a road traffic accident.

Safuan continued to drive towards Tuas Checkpoint and left Singapore for Malaysia on the same day of the accident at around 10.28am. 

A few hours later, he informed his supervisor that he had knocked into a pedestrian at a zebra crossing with the lorry. 

He stopped working for the company after the accident from the next day. Court documents did not state if Safuan quit his former role or was let go. 

He was arrested more than six months later by the Royal Malaysia Police in Pahang, Malaysia on March 14, 2024, and extradited to Singapore on the next day. 

DID NOT RENDER ASSISTANCE

The prosecution sought a sentence of 24 to 32 months’ jail and eight years disqualification from holding a driving licence for Safuan’s offences. 

Deputy Public Prosecutor (DPP) Gabriel Lee highlighted that Safuan had collided into the victim who had the right of way at the zebra crossing while driving a heavy vehicle. This required Safuan to exercise a greater level of care, which he failed to do. 

Though he was aware that he had seriously injured the pedestrian, he did not render any assistance to the man and remained out of Singapore for around six and a half months, DPP Lee added. 

The man’s lawyers, Mr Muslim Albakri and Ms Rebecca Heng from law firm Albakri LLC sought a lighter sentence of 20 months and argued that Safuan’s offence was of being careless and failing to keep a proper lookout and giving way. 

He added that Safuan’s immediate return to Malaysia was a “knee-jerk reaction”, as he went back to his employer and left employment the next day after informing his supervisor of the accident. 

While he had evaded the authorities for a significant period, there was no evidence or actions on Safuan's part to conceal his involvement with the accident, Mr Muslim added. 

Safuan’s lawyers also pleaded for leniency and said that his client was “sincerely remorseful” for his actions, especially to the victim’s family for the pain and loss he caused, which has “haunted” him since the accident and likely would for the rest of his life. 

For driving a motor vehicle without due care and attention causing death, the man could have been jailed for up to three years or be fined up to S$10,000, or both.

Those who do not render assistance in a road accident that caused serious injury or death to a person can be jailed for up to 12 months or be fined up to S$3,000 or face both punishments. 

Anyone who obstructs the course of justice can be jailed for up to seven years, be fined, or both.

SINGAPORE — A man who was the first among four brothers to start sexually abusing their younger sister was on Tuesday (May 21) sentenced to 18 years in jail and 24 strokes of the cane.

Justice Mavis Chionh decided on a longer jail term than the 16 years proposed by the prosecution and defence, which she said was not commensurate with his crime.

The man, now 22, is the second-oldest of the four brothers. The assailants cannot be named in order to protect the identity of the victim.

He pleaded guilty to three charges of aggravated rape, which carries a minimum penalty of eight years in jail and 12 strokes of the cane.

Another 16 charges of aggravated rape and aggravated sexual assault were considered in sentencing.

The brother convicted on Tuesday was the first to start sexually abusing her in 2018. His last assault on her happened only a week before he was arrested in February 2022.

He said he would rather sexually abuse his sister than meet his urges with a girlfriend due to his past experience of being "heartbroken", said Deputy Public Prosecutor M Kayal Pillay.

The man, who was 16 to 20 at the time of the offences, also deliberately chose to assault the victim over her two younger sisters because of her body, said the prosecutor.

The family of four brothers and three sisters lived with their parents. The siblings slept in separate boys' and girls' rooms, while their parents slept in the master bedroom.

The man assaulted his sister in all three bedrooms. On some occasions he did so even when the two other sisters were asleep beside her.

The abuse came to light when the victim entered secondary school and found the courage to tell the school's staff members what happened.

She later showed trauma symptoms such as hypervigilance and frequent strong feelings of disgust, fear and sadness.

She was referred for trauma-focused cognitive behavioural therapy and showed significant improvement after her therapy sessions.

This is the last brother to be convicted in the case. The oldest brother was sentenced on Monday, and the two youngest brothers are awaiting reports on their suitability for reformative training.

Arguing for a sentence of 16 years' jail and 24 strokes of the cane, Ms Pillay said that the offender admitted he would have continued the sexual abuse if it had not been reported.

"Instead, she is left with a quagmire of guilt and trauma to navigate."

In mitigation, defence lawyer Stephania Wong of Rajah & Tann read out an extract of a letter from her client, in which he apologised to his family and the victim.

The man said he had "ruined" the victim's life and "traumatised" her when he was "supposed to take care of her". He hoped for a chance to apologise in person and promised to be "more responsible".

Ms Wong also pointed to the offender's young age of 16 to 20 during the abuse.

She argued that he was exposed to inappropriate sexualised behaviour and pornographic material as a teen and did not receive proper guidance from an adult, which contributed to his offences.

But Justice Chionh said the sentence proposed by both the prosecution and defence was not enough to reflect the overall criminality of the man's conduct, and not in line with past cases.

She said that while he faced fewer charges than his oldest brother — who had 42 charges and was sentenced to 20 years' jail and caning — the bulk of his offences involved "actual consummation" of rape.

She highlighted the man's abuse of the trust and responsibility placed in him as the victim's older brother, and the extended period of five years during which he "sexually terrorised" her.

She also noted the severe harm the victim suffered, including her current separation from her younger sisters and parents "through no fault of her own".

Justice Chionh said the offender would still be quite young when his sentence was completed, and expressed hope he would rehabilitate himself as he had said he wanted to.

Reiterating her call for the victim to take courage and forge ahead, she added that the fact that the girl's psychologist said she had shown improvement was a testament to her fortitude.

The judge also expressed hope that the girl's family would rally around to show her love, support and encouragement.

SINGAPORE — "You seem distracted" is something I would often hear my friends telling me whenever we met for a meal or to hang out. 

I had always brushed them off as mere passing comments until one of my friends spelt out more bluntly how I would be present physically with them, but not mentally.

"Every time we meet, it is like as if you have a million thoughts running through your mind and you don't look like you are concentrating on our conversation," my friend said.

It came as a surprise to me because even though it's true my mind was filled with many competing thoughts on a daily basis, I didn't know that it would translate to something that my friends would notice.

Seeing how confused I was at her remark, she explained that she could see how hard it was for me to keep my mind focused when I was often preoccupied with the many demanding aspects of my job.

"I read about it a while back and one of the things they said that could help with decluttering is to practise mindfulness," she said.

She shared that she too had been noticing that she was becoming distracted easily from her tasks, which prompted her to search online for ways to address the problem. 

Since finding out about the concept and utilizing the tips she picked up, she has felt a change in her productivity, especially when it came time to focus on tasks or even conversations with colleagues.

Feeling curious, I decided to explore the concept a little bit more by speaking to psychologists to find out if mental decluttering could be just as effective for me.

MENTAL DECLUTTERING

Mental decluttering refers to the process of clearing one's mind of excessive and unnecessary thoughts and worries, in order to focus on the thoughts that really matter.

The practice would also better enable the individual to make decisions or develop an understanding of a situation without having to filter this through the noise in their mind.

"One might also consider mentally decluttering if they find it challenging to stay focused on the tasks that they have to complete because there are negative thoughts ruminating in their mind," said Mr Haikal Jamil, senior clinical psychologist and founder of ImPossible Psychological Services.

This is also something to consider when negative thoughts, which are more prevalent at night, lead to difficulties falling asleep due to excessive worrying.

Mental decluttering also involves releasing emotional baggage as it occupies mental space, leaving little room for anything else.

"Just as a room can feel cramped when filled with too many things, our minds can become overwhelmed by excessive thoughts and emotions, and to declutter our minds, we must learn to let go of these burdens," said Ms Ooi.

"When we try to fight thoughts with other thoughts, we are holding an internal never-ending debate," said Ms Ng.

To assess if a mental declutter is needed, senior clinical psychologist Jocelyn Liao of The Psychology Atelier suggests pausing to reflect on one's mental, emotional and physical wellbeing.

"Do we find ourselves more easily distracted or forgetful? Do we find ourselves anxious all the time? Do we feel so restless that our sleep, appetite and health are impacted?" she asked.

"If many of these questions resonate with us, they may signal a need for us to mentally declutter, regroup and recentre ourselves."

HAVING A CLUTTER-FREE MIND

In order to maintain a clutter-free mind, Ms Liao of The Psychology Atelier suggested a few ways in which we can declutter.

• Practise mindfulness strategies to help us observe the mental clutter without judgement or getting caught up in it
• Practise single-tasking and completing one task at a time to stay focused while filtering out unnecessary distractions
• Manage information intake and resource allocation by setting boundaries on screen usage, digital consumption and distractions
• Make basic self-care a priority and this includes getting balanced nutrition, regular exercise and sufficient quality sleep
• Declutter the environment, both physical and online, to reduce distractions and unnecessary information

When asked about how often should a person mental declutter, Mr Haikal from ImPossible Psychological Services said that the frequency of mental decluttering varies depending on individual needs and circumstances.

"Some people benefit from daily practices such as journaling or thought monitoring to maintain mental clarity while there are others who naturally adopt a more positive mindset, or turn to other ways to deal with their problem such as seeking social support."

He also added that with mental decluttering, it can help to reduce the level of cortisol in the body — a stress hormone which increases the experience of negative emotions, such as irritability and anxiety.

On the other hand, Ms Ooi from A Kind Place, believes that it is beneficial for everyone to engage in mental decluttering from time to time as we risk becoming overwhelmed and irritable when our minds become cluttered with thoughts and emotions.

"Taking breaks and learning to let go of these mental burdens, whether through meditation or mindfulness techniques, can help maintain our well-being and prevent physical and emotional strain," she said.

Like Ms Ooi, Ms Ng from Open Journey Psychology also believes that it can be beneficial for everyone to mentally declutter in order to have better focus and more clarity in thoughts.

"By acknowledging what are the difficult thoughts we are experiencing, we can process them if necessary such as through journalling to further clarify on those thoughts, or to let the thoughts go."

The psychologists, however, cautioned against considering going on a holiday or switching off from the world as forms of mental decluttering.

Ms Ooi from A Kind Place said: "Going on a holiday or switching off from the world is like stepping out of that room for a while or switching the lights off to not see the items, but the mess remains when you return."

Agreeing, Mr Haikal said that these activities offer a break from the negative thoughts but are not strategies to mentally declutter.

"This is because mental decluttering involves a more active process in organising one's thoughts such as prioritising what is important for you and rationalising the validity of the negative thoughts," he said.