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A 44-year-old bus driver has been sentenced to seven days in jail and fined RM8,000 for driving dangerously within the Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM) campus, resulting in injuries to three children and a teacher from a kindergarten in Ampang
Mohamad Hamir Masrudin pleaded guilty to the offence at the Petaling Jaya Magistrate's Court today, 5 August, and was sentenced by Magistrate Nur Nastasya Mohtarudin.
If he fails to pay the RM8,000 fine, he will have to serve an additional seven months in prison, reported Harian Metro.
The incident occurred at 12.18pm on 2 August at Jalan Persiaran Universiti 1 in UPM, where the bus he was driving veered off and crashed into a tree.
It was carrying 30 students and five accompanying teachers from PASTI Ampang, who were en route from a chocolate factory to G2G Animal Garden at MAEPS, Serdang.
According to earlier reports, Hamir was believed to be fatigued and sleep-deprived at the time of the accident
A dashcam recording of the crash had also gone viral on social media.
He was charged under Section 42(1) of the Road Transport Act 1987 for reckless and dangerous driving.
The offence carries a jail term of up to five years, a fine between RM5,000 and RM15,000, and disqualification from holding or obtaining a driving licence for not less than five years.
In court, Hamir, who was unrepresented, pleaded for a lenient sentence, saying he worked part-time and was the sole caretaker of his ill mother.
However, deputy public prosecutor Nurain Syafiqeen Mohd Rozi urged the court to impose a punishment that prioritised public safety.
"The accused drove carelessly, at high speed, and in a dangerous manner that caused injuries to three children and a teacher," she said.
The court was also asked to endorse the conviction on Hamir's driving record and suspend his licence under the same law.
