The editor of a Chinese newspaper faces a mandatory jail term for reckless driving after she seriously injured a motorcycle rider and killed his pillion rider in an accident.

Yesterday, Lim Hong Eng, the executive editor of Shih Min Daily News, was convicted of dangerous driving in the December 2006 crash.

Lim, 56, potentially faces up to five years jail for causing the death of Indonesian maid Melania Melaniawati, 24, who was riding pillion.

Lim's lawyers, Subhas Anandan and Sunil Sudheesan, will present her mitigation plea next Tuesday. She is also likely to be sentenced on the same day.

The accident

On Christmas Eve in 2006, at the junction of Whitley Road and Dunearn Road, Lim's car crashed into Mr Pattiselanno's motorcycle.

Mr Pattiselanno, 70, had stopped along Dunearn Road at the red lights. The lights then changed in his favour. As he moved off, he was hit by Lim's Toyota Wish multi-purpose vehicle.

The strength of the impact threw him off his motorcycle. He suffered a broken leg. He continues to use crutches today.

No proper lookout

In his closing submissions, Deputy Public Prosecuter Ng Der Lim said the fact that Lim was unaware that she had run a red light and was on a collision course with a motorcycle indicated clearly her failure to keep a proper lookout.

Earlier, a witness testified that she saw Lim with her left hand to the side of her face, and that Lim was holding her cellphone when she emerged from her car after the crash to make a call.

The witness called the police at 3.48 pm. In addition, telephone records reflected that Lim made a call to her son at home around the same time.

In her defence, Lim denied beating the red lights or using her cellphone while driving.

She also denied being in a hurry, but DPP Ng noted that Lim told the court she has a spa appointment at Raffles Town Club at 3.45 pm and was likely to have been concerned about being late.