Red Swastika School incident: Bentley driver and son charged
UPDATE: Neo Hong Chye, 61, and Glynn Neo Jia, 28, were charged in court on Wednesday (11 May).
SINGAPORE — Two men were charged in court on Wednesday (11 May) over an incident outside Red Swastika School where they allegedly threatened to run down a security officer with their Bentley car.
The driver, 61-year-old Neo Hong Chye, was charged with one count of causing hurt by performing a rash act. He is is also accused of driving the vehicle without insurance coverage.
His son Glynn Neo Jia, 28, was also charged with one count each of altering the licence plate number of the Bentley and allowing his father to use the car without insurance coverage. He is the owner of the Bentley car.
In a joint statement on Tuesday night, the Singapore Police Force and the Land Transport Authority (LTA) said that they had received a report at around 11.40am on 11 January this year on a case involving a car driver who was allegedly endangering the safety of a security guard at the school.
The police later arrested the driver at about 3.35pm for a rash act causing hurt.
Subsequent investigations by the police and LTA revealed that the vehicle’s number plate was purportedly altered, and the driver had driven the vehicle without insurance coverage, the joint statement said.
A video of the incident, which went viral on social media, showed a driver trying to enter the school in a white Bentley while he was being stopped by the security officer.
He later moved the car forward despite the security officer standing in front of it, causing the officer to nearly lose his balance.
Education Minister Chan Chun Sing in a Facebook post in January had criticised the “unacceptable behaviour” of the driver for the “dangerous manoeuvres”.
“This is not the way we should behave towards our security and school personnel who are performing their duties to keep our schools and our children safe,” Chan had wrote.
In a written parliamentary response in April, Home Affairs and Law Minister K Shanmugam had said that the incident was referred to the public prosecutor for a decision on the appropriate course of action, and that the police have completed investigations.
If convicted of a rash act causing hurt, an offender can be jailed up to one year, or fined up to $50,000, or both.
Offenders found to have altered their vehicles’ licence plate number can face a maximum jail term of one year, or a maximum fine of $5,000, or both.
If convicted of using or permitting the use of a vehicle without insurance, an offender can be jailed up to three months, or fined up to $1,000, or both. In addition, offenders will be disqualified from holding or obtaining a driving licence for a period of 12 months from the date of the conviction.
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