SINGAPORE - The Maserati car owner, who was allegedly involved in a hit-and-run accident in Bedok Reservoir Road, phoned a friend minutes later to tell him he was involved in an "incident" with the Traffic Police, a district court heard on Friday (Oct 4).
Marketing executive Jeff Chan said Lee Cheng Yan, 35, also told him he fled the scene of the incident, which took place on Nov 17, 2017.
The pillion rider of a motorcycle that had tailed the Maserati on that fateful day also testified and identified Lee as its driver.
Businessman Yan Junfeng said that during the pursuit, the car stopped momentarily at the traffic lights at the junction of MacPherson and Aljunied roads as there were other vehicles in front of it.
Mr Yan said he knocked on the window on the driver's side and Lee turned to look at him "face to face".
Lee is claiming trial to 10 charges related to the accident, which happened around 9.20pm on Nov 17, 2017.
They include voluntarily causing grievous hurt to then 26-year-old Staff Sergeant Khairulanwar Abd Kahar, failing to stop after an accident and obstruction of justice.
A Singaporean, Lee is also facing 59 other charges related to matters such as online gambling and illegal moneylending. They will be dealt with at a later date.
He has denied he was the driver of the Maserati that evening, saying it was being driven by a man identified only as "Kelvin" in court.
The court heard Lee looked "very nervous" when he turned up at Mr Chan's Kallang Bahru flat around 10pm on the day of the accident.
Mr Chan told District Judge Ng Peng Hong he tried to persuade Lee to surrender to the authorities.
He also said that around 11 pm, Lee asked if he could drive him home to Potong Pasir. When they arrived at his home, they spotted patrol cars in the vicinity.
"He didn't dare go home and asked to go back to my home again," Mr Chan told the court.
At the flat, Lee asked to borrow a T-shirt and he threw his own white T-shirt down the rubbish chute.
The police arrived at Mr Chan's home around 2am on Nov 18, 2017 . Lee was arrested and charged in court later that day.
Mr Chan said the police later searched his car and found the key to Lee's Maserati near the front passenger seat.
"I was very angry," he added, as his car was impounded for about five months.
He is no longer on good terms with Lee, he said.
Mr Yan, in his testimony, said when he spotted a Traffic Police officer stopping the white Maserati, he began video recording the scene on his mobile phone.
The driver remained in the car and swerved to the right before speeding away, he added.
He promptly called the police as he felt a hit-and-run accident had taken place.
The motorcycle pursued the car and when it stopped at the junction of MacPherson and Aljunied roads, he knocked on the car window.
"I wanted to tell (the driver) to stop. He turned and looked at me in shock," he added.
Lee ignored Mr Yan and the motorcycle continued tailing the Maserati before losing sight of it near Wan Tho Avenue off Upper Serangoon Road.
Lee is out on a $60,000 bail and the trial will resume on Monday (Oct 7).
If convicted of causing grievous hurt to the policeman, he can be jailed up to 15 years and fined or caned.
