Edmund Chen has been sentenced to five days in jail and disqualified from driving for five years over careless driving by the courts today (Jan 29).
The 64-year-old local former actor, who is identified as Tan Kai Yuan in the court documents, arrived at the State Courts at about 2.35pm, wearing a white shirt.
He told reporters he was “nervous” and “didn’t know what to expect”.
When asked by reporters about what he wished to say to the motorcyclist, he said: “I wish him a speedy recovery.”
On March 4, 2025, Edmund was driving along Ayer Rajah Expressway towards Central Expressway when he slowed down unnecessarily, almost coming to a stop, before making an abrupt lane change to his right.
He is accused of not keeping a proper lookout on his right, resulting in a collision with a motorcycle which was overtaking his car and causing the 31-year-old motorcyclist to suffer multiple injuries, including a wrist fracture which required surgery and 99 days of hospitalisation leave.
Edmund pleaded guilty to one count of driving without reasonable consideration for other persons using the road.
In court today, dashcam footage from his vehicle was shown and his lawyer, Invictus Law Corporation’s Josephus Tan, said that it was a “momentarily lapse of judgement” on Edmund’s part, but he rendered assistance to the motorcyclist immediately.
The motorcyclist also didn’t suffer from permanent disability from the accident.
Tan proposed a fine of no more than $3,000 for Edmund and disqualification from driving for not more than five years.
Tan added that as Edmund is a public figure, he also has to face public opinions and had “lost opportunities” for his projects and “suffered backlash” since his last hearing, and hoped the court could “show mercy” for him.
The judge sentenced him to five days in prison and banned from driving for five years, deferred to March 9, 12noon, after Chinese New Year.
At one point, Edmund look surprised as his sentence was read to him.
In meting out the sentence, the judge said that Edmund flouted traffic rules and had a high degree of carelessness on the road.
For careless driving, he could have been fined an amount not exceeding $5,000 or imprisonment for a term of not exceeding two years, or both, and a five-year driving ban.
Edmund, who is married to veteran local actress Xiang Yun, 64, left showbiz in the 2000s at the peak of his career to concentrate on family and other career ventures.
During the time he was away from the screens, he started his own business, worked in sales and marketing, and was also involved in the local art scene, achieving good results in painting, designing and creative writing, and published 14 books.
In an interview in 2024, he said that he is ready to make a comeback in acting or behind-the-scenes, as his children Chen Xi, 34, and Yixin, 25, have grown up.
These days, he is active on social media including Instagram and Xiaohongshu, posting reels to engage with his followers.
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