The Straits Times reported from court that Muhammad Hidayat Abdul Rahman, 41, was sentenced to six months in jail for dumping Myo Min Aung, 28, in a back alley, after the latter fell from a height of 11.7m.

Myo and another Burmese national Min Aung Myat Min were working illegally for Hidayat.

The accident occurred around midnight between 6 and 7 October 2013, with Myo dying about an hour later.

Height.Service.Management (HSM), owned by Hidayat’s wife, had the job of painting a link bridge at Vivocity, Harbourfront. Hidayat’s brother Azhar was the company’s safety supervisor. The newspaper wrote:

Investigations showed that at about 11.20pm on Oct 6 that year, the two Myanmar workers reported to Azhar for work at the worksite.

Azhar noticed that the two Myanmar workers appeared intoxicated, especially Mr Myo, who reeked of alcohol and was unsteady on his feet.

Through the telephone, Hidayat advised Azhar that intoxicated Myo should not work that night, but the message was not communicated to the worker. They then proceeded to work on the roof of the link bridge, but around midnight found Myo lying on the ground 11.7m below.

Azhar told Hidayat. Mr Myo was then put in the back seat of Hidayat’s car in a multi-storey carpark. Hidayat and Mr Min also changed Mr Myo’s work attire for civilian clothes.

Hidayat then drove to the ground floor, where Mr Min got out and Azhar entered the car.

They drove around for 30 minutes before dumping Mr Myo in Upper Circular Road near Songfa Bak Kut Teh. Azhar then called for an ambulance at 1.24am, shortly before Mr Myo was pronounced dead. The “anonymous” call was later traced to Azhar’s mobile phone.

Hidayat also pled guilty to two other charges: failing to take reasonable safety measures — there were no barricades on the roof of the link bridge — and employing a worker (Myo) without a valid work permit. For these two offences, a fine of $85,000 was added to the six months jail sentence.

Full report at Man gets six months for dumping dying worker on pavement, fined $85,000 for 2 other offences. (Straits Times, 20 May 2016)