Vietnamese woman charged in Penang court for reckless driving causing student’s death

GEORGE TOWN: A Vietnamese woman was charged with the death of a teenager and injuring another while driving under the influence of alcohol at a Magistrate’s court here.

Nguyen Thi Kim Oanh, 40, pleaded not guilty to both charges before Magistrate Nadratun Naim Mohd Saidi at the George Town court on Thursday (March 27).

Based on the first charge sheet, she was charged with driving her car under the influence of alcohol along Jalan Jelutong at around 9.48pm on February 19, 2025, and losing control of the vehicle, resulting in the death of Thomas Ch’ng Kai Hen, 18.

She was charged under Section 44(1) (a) of the Road Transport Act 1987 for causing death by driving under the influence of alcohol, which carries a sentence of no less than 10 years imprisonment and a fine of no less than RM50,000 upon conviction.

In the second charge sheet, she was charged with committing the same offence (driving under the influence of alcohol) at the same location, date and time, causing injury to Ooi Qi Heng, 18.

She was charged under 44(1A)(a) of the same act for causing injury by driving under the influence of alcohol.

The charge carries a conviction of a minimum of seven years imprisonment and a fine of no less than RM30,000.

The woman, who is married to a local man, was calm during the court proceeding but explained that she did not understand the charge, which was read to her in Mandarin multiple times, before uttering “not wrong” (tidak salah) to both charges.

Deputy public prosecutor M Darrshini urged the court to impose RM15,000 bail for each offence, for Nguyen to surrender her passport to the court and to suspend her driving licence until the end of the case.

Lawyer K Mahendran, who represented Nguyen, a mother of three, said the accused is unemployed and dependent on her husband to provide for her.

“She does not work, and her husband is a hawker who makes around RM3,000 a month.

“They have three children, aged 16, 10 and one.

“She has cooperated with the police throughout the investigation and will comply with the conditions of the case,” he said.

Lawyer RSN Rayer, who was there as amicus curiae (friend of the court), said the case was of public interest.

“The victim is an 18-year-old who had just completed his Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia.

“We request for no bail to be permitted and if it is allowed for the accused to present herself at a police station every month until the case is over as the accused is a foreigner,” he said.

Lawyer Andy Ooi held a watching brief for the victim’s family.

Nadratun set bail at RM10,000 for each charge with two sureties.

She then asked for Nguyen’s passport to be surrendered to the court and for her driving licence to be suspended.

Nadratun then set April 21 for document submissions.

In the accident on February 19, (2025) Ch’ng, who was awaiting his SPM results, died at the scene when the car allegedly driven by the Vietnamese woman crashed into him and his friends while they were walking along Jalan Jelutong.