Singaporean sentenced to 5 years, 9 months' jail in Australia for fatally running over man who stole backpack

A Singaporean man who fatally ran over a cyclist while pursuing him over a stolen backpack in Perth, Australia, has been sentenced to five years and nine months' jail.

Ng Jing Kai, 29, was sentenced by the Supreme Court of Western Australia on Monday (Nov 2), after pleading guilty to manslaughter in August, CNA reported.

His sentence was backdated to May 24, 2024, the day he was arrested.

Ng was initially charged with murder but the charge was later reduced to manslaughter after prosecutors accepted his guilty plea.

In delivering the sentence, Judge Terence Palmer described Ng's actions as involving "a degree of vigilantism", saying his decision to pursue and confront the man amounted to taking the law into his own hands, The Straits Times reported.

The judge said Ng had made a poor decision by pursuing the cyclist in a car, noting that such a chase could easily have resulted in a serious accident.

However, he also acknowledged that Ng may have believed the cyclist posed an immediate threat to him and the other occupants of the vehicle, at the time of the fatal collision.

Pursued cyclist over stolen backpack

The incident happened on May 24, 2024, after Ng and his girlfriend's family discovered that their rental car had been broken into the previous night.

A backpack belonging to his girlfriend's brother, containing his passport, an iPad and cash, had been stolen.

The group used an Apple AirTag inside the bag to track its location and spotted 48-year-old Mark John Burnes riding an e-bike with the backpack the following afternoon.

According to CNA, Ng then drove after Burnes for about 10 minutes through the streets of Carlisle, while his girlfriend's brother updated the police on their location.

During the pursuit, Ng struck the rear wheel of Burnes' e-bike, causing him to fall.

Ng then turned the vehicle around to face Burnes. As Burnes approached the car, Ng believed the vehicle was in reverse and intended to move away, but instead accelerated while it was still in drive, striking Burnes and causing him to fall beneath the vehicle.

Burnes was dragged underneath the car for about 25m before Ng reversed to free him. He was subsequently taken to hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

Guilty plea and remorse considered

The Straits Times reported that in sentencing Ng, the judge considered his guilty plea, lack of criminal history and expressions of remorse.

He also accepted that the incident was out of character for Ng and that he had good prospects of rehabilitation.

Burnes' father submitted a victim impact statement describing the devastating effect of his son's death on the family, including his three children.

Ng will be eligible for parole after serving three years and nine months of his sentence.

asyiqin.nadzri@asiaone.com

一名新加坡男子在澳大利亚珀斯追赶一名骑自行车的人，因偷窃背包而将其撞死，被判处五年零九个月监禁。

据亚洲新闻台报道，29岁的吴景凯于周一（11月2日）被西澳大利亚州最高法院判刑，此前他于8月承认过失杀人罪。

他的刑期从2024年5月24日开始计算，也就是他被捕的那一天。

吴某最初被控谋杀，但检察官接受了他的认罪后，指控被降为过失杀人。

据《海峡时报》报道，法官特伦斯·帕尔默在宣判时将吴的行为描述为“某种程度的私刑”，并表示他追捕并与该男子对峙的决定相当于以暴制暴。

法官表示，吴先生驾车追逐骑车人是一个糟糕的决定，并指出这样的追逐很容易导致严重的事故。

然而，他也承认，在致命碰撞发生时，吴可能认为骑自行车的人对他和车内其他乘客构成了直接威胁。

因背包被盗，骑自行车者遭追捕

事件发生在 2024 年 5 月 24 日，当时 Ng 和他女友的家人发现他们租的车在前一天晚上被撬开了。

他女友哥哥的背包被盗了，里面装着他的护照、iPad和现金。

该组织利用背包内的 Apple AirTag 追踪其位置，并在第二天下午发现 48 岁的 Mark John Burnes 骑着电动自行车，背着这个背包。

据中央社报道，吴某随后驾车在卡莱尔的街道上追赶伯恩斯约 10 分钟，而他女友的哥哥则向警方通报了他们的位置。

追逐过程中，吴撞到了伯恩斯的电动自行车的后轮，导致伯恩斯摔倒。

随后，吴先生调转车头，面对伯恩斯。伯恩斯走近车辆时，吴先生以为车辆已挂入倒挡，准备驶离，但车辆却在前进挡时突然加速，撞倒了伯恩斯，导致他摔倒在车底。

伯恩斯被拖行在车底约25米后，吴先生倒车将他救出。随后他被送往医院，但被宣告死亡。

认罪和悔意均被考虑在内

《海峡时报》报道称，法官在对吴某判刑时，考虑了他的认罪态度、无犯罪记录以及悔罪表现。

他也承认，这起事件与吴的性格不符，并且吴有很好的改过自新前景。

伯恩斯的父亲提交了一份受害者影响声明，描述了儿子去世对家庭（包括他的三个孩子）造成的毁灭性影响。

吴某服刑三年零九个月后将有资格获得假释。

asyiqin.nadzri@asiaone.com