SINGAPORE: A Shin Min Daily News editor won an appeal to reduce her sentence at the High Court on Friday.
Michelle Lim, who was found guilty of causing death by dangerous driving, will now serve one day in jail, down from the original sentence of 18 months.
In addition, she was fined S$2,000 and banned from driving for ten years.
Lim was sentenced last July after being convicted of beating the red light on Christmas Eve in 2006. Her car collided with a motorcycle, killing the pillion rider.
In reducing the sentence, Justice Choo Han Teck said he found no reason to challenge the fact that Lim had beaten the red light. But it was clear that Lim had not intentionally disregarded the red light at the road junction.
Justice Choo said Lim's culpability laid in her "failure to keep a proper lookout" and this did not warrant a harsh custodial sentence.
As for the second charge of causing grievous hurt by a rash act, he said that evidence showed Lim was unaware that the traffic light had turned red.
In his view, Justice Choo said Lim was more negligent than rash, so he amended the second charge to a lighter one of dangerous driving.
Lim, who was accompanied by her older son and a few ex-colleagues in court on Friday, looked somewhat relieved upon hearing the judgement.
Her son declined to comment when approached by the media.
- CNA
Michelle Lim, who was found guilty of causing death by dangerous driving, will now serve one day in jail, down from the original sentence of 18 months.
In addition, she was fined S$2,000 and banned from driving for ten years.
Lim was sentenced last July after being convicted of beating the red light on Christmas Eve in 2006. Her car collided with a motorcycle, killing the pillion rider.
In reducing the sentence, Justice Choo Han Teck said he found no reason to challenge the fact that Lim had beaten the red light. But it was clear that Lim had not intentionally disregarded the red light at the road junction.
Justice Choo said Lim's culpability laid in her "failure to keep a proper lookout" and this did not warrant a harsh custodial sentence.
As for the second charge of causing grievous hurt by a rash act, he said that evidence showed Lim was unaware that the traffic light had turned red.
In his view, Justice Choo said Lim was more negligent than rash, so he amended the second charge to a lighter one of dangerous driving.
Lim, who was accompanied by her older son and a few ex-colleagues in court on Friday, looked somewhat relieved upon hearing the judgement.
Her son declined to comment when approached by the media.
- CNA