Singaporean driver who ran over cyclist in Perth pleads guilty to manslaughter

SINGAPORE – A Singaporean held in custody in Australia since 2024 over allegations that he intentionally ran down a cyclist with a car while on holiday in Perth has pleaded guilty to manslaughter.

Ng Jing Kai, who was initially charged with murder, will be sentenced on Nov 3.

Documents seen by the Straits Times showed that the 29-year-old pleaded guilty to the reduced charge in August in the Supreme Court of Western Australia.

Ng, who was first charged in a lower court, has been held in custody since his arrest in May 2024.

Media reports then showed that he was later an inmate at the Hakea Prison – a maximum security facility in Canning Vale, Western Australia.

Ng, a former mathematics tutor, was driving a grey Kia Carnival in Carlisle, a suburb in Perth, when the incident happened around 1.45pm on May 24, 2024.

He had been on holiday with his family and friends.

The Western Australia Police Force (WAPF), in a previous interview with ST, said Ng hit the cyclist with his car, “causing him to be dragged by the vehicle for a short distance, sustaining critical injuries”.

The cyclist was taken to Royal Perth Hospital, where he died.

Police investigated the case as a possible property dispute. Ng was also accused of acting as a vigilante.

According to reports in Australia, Ng had accused the deceased of taking items from the car and refusing to return them.

The Singaporean then chased down the 48-year-old cyclist and ran over him, before dragging his injured body for over 30m.

Detective Inspector Gorton from the WAPF told ST then that several members of his family and friends were in the car with Ng at the time of the incident.

The maximum penalty for manslaughter in Perth is life imprisonment.