Illegal cigarette buyer admits to driving car into Customs officer and injuring him
A 20-year-old man who was looking to buy contraband cigarettes while in a car was instead stopped by a group of Customs officers on a raid in an industrial estate, a court heard.
Worried as he had some contraband cigarettes on him, Muhammad Irfan Rukaimi accelerated his car forward and crashed into a Customs officer who tried to jump out of the way. The officer’s left kneecap broke due to the impact.
At the State Courts on Thursday (29 November), Irfan, now 21, pleaded guilty to one charge each of causing grievous hurt by a rash act and obstructing a Customs officer.
Two counts of having unpaid-duty goods in his possession will be considered when he is sentenced at a later date.
On the evening of 10 November last year, Irfan drove his silver Toyota car to the area of Block 5 Sungei Kadut Avenue to look for peddlers selling contraband cigarettes. His girlfriend was with him. But the peddlers did not have stock of the cigarette brand that he wanted.
Just as he was about to drive off, a group of Customs officers approached the front of his car. One officer was wearing a green-coloured luminous vest with the Singapore Customs logo while another had a Singapore Customs lanyard. They shone a torch light at Irfan’s car and he came to a stop.
Afraid of being caught with contraband cigarettes, Irfan refused to comply with their directions to lower his window. He accelerated his car in an attempt to flee despite the law enforcement officers standing around and in front of his car.
The car sped towards a 40-year-old officer, who was about two car lengths away. He tried to jump out of the way, but the car hit his left knee. Irfan’s car then hit a bicycle before speeding off.
The officer was given five days of hospitalisation leave, and 49 days of medical leave in total.
The court was not told how Irfan was apprehended.
Irfan’s pro bono lawyer Shaneet Rai urged the court to consider probation for his client, who is now serving his full-time national service and undergoing infantry vocational training.
Irfan was previously fined $1,800 for underaged driving, driving without insurance and driving without consent when he was 17.
He will be sentenced after the completion of a probation suitability report.
The maximum penalty for causing grievous hurt by a rash act endangering life or the personal safety of others is up to four years’ jail and a fine of up to $10,000. The maximum punishment for obstructing a Customs officer is a fine of up to $10,000 and up to 18 months’ jail.
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