A 22-year-old Singaporean man was sentenced to seven months' jail on Wednesday, January 28, after a fire caused by his negligent charging of a personal mobility device (PMD) battery led to the death of his uncle's fiancée in a Housing Board flat.
Putra Nur Iman Muhammad Danial Zhang pleaded guilty to one charge of causing death by a negligent act.
The court heard that he had used an incompatible charger to charge a PMD battery, triggering a fire that resulted in the death of 26-year-old Nuratiqah Zahari.
While imposing a longer sentence than the prosecution had sought, District Judge Shen Wanqin said Putra's actions produced "devastating consequences" and reflected a "complete disregard" for the safety of others in the household.
At the time of the offence in March 2022, Putra was 18 and living in a three-room HDB flat in New Upper Changi Road with relatives, including the victim and her fiancé. The couple had a one-year-old baby. Putra, then a student who did delivery work part-time, had decided to switch from using a bicycle to an electric scooter for convenience.
He bought a secondhand, unregistered and non-compliant e-scooter from an unknown seller; despite knowing it was not registered with the Land Transport Authority (LTA).
As the scooter did not come with a battery, he later purchased one from the online marketplace Carousell for S$290, choosing it solely because it was the cheapest option. He made no checks on the battery's condition or specifications and did not ask about charger compatibility.
On March 9, 2022, Putra charged the battery for the first time using a charger borrowed from a friend. The charger was not registered with Enterprise Singapore and did not carry the required safety mark. Despite not knowing whether the charger was compatible, he plugged it into a three-way extension socket in the living room, which was already powering other devices.
The e-scooter was placed beside a sofa with a pile of clothes on it, increasing the fire risk.
While the battery was charging, Putra went to his bedroom to rest. Minutes later, his uncle noticed smoke and saw the battery on fire.
Although family members attempted to escape, the fire spread rapidly. Neighbours made about 30 calls to the police and tried unsuccessfully to extinguish the blaze with water. Firefighters eventually rescued Putra, his uncle and the victim from the flat, all of whom were unconscious at the time.
Nuratiqah later died from inhalation of combustion products, with burns covering about 10% of her body. Putra's uncle suffered inhalation injuries and was hospitalized for 10 days, while Putra himself sustained severe injuries and was hospitalised for 15 days.
A neighbour also suffered a burn while escaping. The family was displaced for eight months, and repairs to the flat and common areas cost tens of thousands of dollars.
Investigations found that the e-scooter had been modified and that the charger was incompatible with the battery. The charger was meant for batteries with higher voltage, resulting in the battery being overcharged and going into thermal runaway — a dangerous cycle of overheating associated with lithium-ion batteries.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Hidayat Amir said Putra had failed to take basic steps to ensure safety, such as checking compatibility or researching the devices online. While the prosecution sought a jail term of four to six months, Judge Shen imposed a longer sentence, citing the seriousness of the harm caused and the need for deterrence amid a rise in PMD-related fires.
In mitigation, Putra, who was unrepresented, described his actions as a "silly and ignorant mistake" and said he felt deep remorse. He told the court he continues to suffer trauma from the incident and now avoids electric devices. Judge Shen acknowledged his youth at the time but said deterrence outweighed rehabilitation in this case, noting that an innocent life was lost due to his negligence.
Putra was allowed to defer the start of his sentence to settle personal matters. For causing death by a negligent act, he could have been jailed for up to two years, fined, or both.
