***Update: NUS clarified Jarrett Tee was not a NUS.
On June 27, 2025, 30-year-old Jarrett Tee Lee Kiat was sentenced to five years and eight months’ jail and handed a 10-year driving ban after pleading guilty to one count of dangerous driving causing death. The incident took place on February 24, 2024, along the East Coast Parkway (ECP) expressway, during which Tee’s reckless actions led to the death of 18-year-old pillion rider Leann Lim Jia Le.
Tee, then a full-time student at the National University of Singapore and a part-time chef and social media influencer, was driving a rented Mercedes-Benz. On the night of February 23, 2024, he contacted a friend, Vincent Loh, to go driving. Loh later picked up two 16-year-old girls and met Tee in Sembawang for supper. Later, Loh also picked up Ms Lim and her 16-year-old boyfriend.
Tee began engaging in "blocking and braking" games with Loh’s vehicle. He repeatedly swerved into Loh’s lane and braked suddenly to force the car to slow down. Later, Tee’s passengers included Ms Lim’s boyfriend and another 16-year-old girl, while 27-year-old Kovan Tan rode a motorcycle with Ms Lim as pillion. As the group headed toward East Coast Park, Tee and Mr Tan began racing on the ECP, with Tee hitting speeds up to 160km/h.
At one point, Mr Tan attempted to overtake Tee by cutting back onto the ECP from a slip road near Marine Parade. As Mr Tan re-entered the expressway, Tee asked his passengers, “Do you want to see motorcycle fly?” Despite Ms Lim’s boyfriend pleading with him to stop, Tee swerved sharply into the motorcycle's path and collided with it.
The impact threw Mr Tan and Ms Lim about five to eight metres forward. Dashcam footage from a trailing vehicle showed Tee applying his brakes four times in rapid succession as the motorcycle approached. Ms Lim was found unresponsive on the ground and was rushed to Changi General Hospital at 4.40am. Despite efforts by paramedics and hospital staff, she succumbed to severe brain injuries and died at 2.47pm the same day. Mr Tan sustained abrasions and a hand laceration and was hospitalised for three days.
Tee’s post-incident conduct drew sharp criticism. He initially told Mr Loh that the motorcycle “collided into him” and later claimed the motorcycle was provoking him. He also accused Ms Lim of making a rude gesture at him, stating that he “played with the motorcycle” in response. Tee further admitted to Loh that he engaged the car’s neutral gear to hide his braking actions and swerved intentionally to block the motorcycle.
According to court documents, Tee later told Loh, “She deserved it as she come and push my limit.” He repeated this to his friends during a drinks session at a Geylang hotel the same evening, showing no remorse. During police interviews, Tee lied that the motorcycle was tailgating and high-beaming him and fabricated a version where he changed lanes to allow the bike to pass.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Paul Chia submitted victim impact statements from Ms Lim’s father and stepmother and described Tee as utterly remorseless. He contrasted Tee’s indifference with the efforts of first responders to save Ms Lim’s life.
Tee’s lawyer, Pang Khin Wee, portrayed Tee as a misguided individual raised in a broken family, frequently alone due to his father’s work. Pang described his client’s behaviour as immature and driven by the desire to appear “macho” in front of peers, not out of true malice. He argued that Tee’s comments were bravado and not representative of his actual regret. A jail term of 42 to 50 months was sought by the defence, acknowledging the guilty plea.
Ultimately, the court rejected Tee’s attempt to minimise the gravity of his actions and found the prolonged, aggressive driving, his disregard for safety, and his post-accident behaviour warranted a substantial custodial sentence. Two additional charges of dangerous driving were taken into consideration, including one relating to the injuries sustained by Mr Tan.
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