‘Papa sorry': Unlicensed driver jailed 12 weeks after running over daughter, 2, in Singapore carpark

Malay Mail

17-07-2025

SINGAPORE, July 17 — A man who ran over his two-year-old daughter while driving without a licence has been jailed for 12 weeks, after a tragic carpark crash that also injured his wife and left him repeatedly muttering 'Papa sorry' as he held his motionless child.
The 36-year-old, who cannot be named to protect the identities of his surviving children, was sentenced yesterday after pleading guilty to driving without a valid licence and without insurance, The Straits Times reported. He was also disqualified from driving for three years.
Two other charges — for driving without due care and attention — were taken into consideration during sentencing.
According to the facts of the case, the accident happened on March 13, 2023, in the carpark of Block 326 Woodlands Street 32. At the time, the man was on the run from a 2021 conviction for unlicensed moneylending.
That day, his wife — who had rented a delivery van — was delivering parcels in the area with their two children. After a few stops, the man asked to drive so they could finish up and go for lunch. Although she knew he had no licence, she agreed.
Moments later, as she pushed their daughter in a stroller along the road while delivering more parcels, he turned the van into the carpark.
Footage played in court did not capture the impact but showed the van turning too close. According to Deputy Public Prosecutor Ng Jun Chong, the van toppled the stroller and ran over the girl and the wife's right foot.
Screaming, the wife rushed to cradle her daughter. The man braked, reversed, and ran out. He took the girl in his arms and tried to revive her.
'He then walked around aimlessly while carrying the toddler, mumbling: 'Papa sorry,'' said DPP Ng.
The child was taken to hospital with head injuries and severe bleeding but died at about 3.30pm the same day.
The man was arrested after the accident and began serving his one-year jail term for his earlier offence.
The court heard he had previously been fined S$1,500 (RM5,000) in August 2021 for unlicensed driving.
According to The Straits Times, DPP Ng reportedly said, 'The consequences which arose from the accused's driving was grave as well as tragic. An accident occurred, and the accused caused the death of his own daughter, as well as untold grief to both his wife and himself.'
In court, the man — who did not have a lawyer — questioned the two-year delay before charges were brought. But District Judge Shawn Ho noted that the authorities had needed time to gather medical and other reports, and that the man had also absconded and served jail time during that period.
The man told the court that he and his wife were still grieving. 'As a human, (how) do I feel if I cannot bury my own daughter when I'm inside (prison)?' he said, describing himself as the sole breadwinner.
'It's our own daughter, not an outsider or a passer-by... It's hard for us to move on,' he added.
The couple have since had another baby — a six-month-old boy — who was in court with the wife, their elder son and other family members.
After Judge Ho handed down the sentence, the man asked again for leniency. The judge said his plea had been taken seriously.
The Straits Times reported that the man accepted the decision and kissed his sons goodbye before being led away.