Judge Rosli Ahmad ordered Sun Xue Song’s jail term to run from the date of his arrest, March 30, and disqualified him from holding a driving licence for five years, The Borneo Post reported.

The judge also ordered Sun to serve an additional three months’ jail if he failed to pay the fine.

On May 16, Sun, 42, pleaded guilty to a charge under Section 41(1) of the Road Transport Act 1987, which carries a maximum penalty of 10 years’ imprisonment and a fine of up to RM50,000, upon conviction.

Sun initially claimed trial on April 7 when the charge was first read to him by a court interpreter before magistrate Romario Jonoi.

He was accused of driving a sports utility vehicle dangerously and causing Marutin’s death at the Kanowit roundabout near Sibu at around 1pm on March 30.

Sun is said to have crashed into the Toyota Fortuner driven by Marutin’s daughter. There were three other passengers in the vehicle, which was heading towards the roundabout’s Sibu exit.

Marutin, who sustained injuries due to the incident, was taken to Kanowit Hospital where he later died.

In mitigation, Sun’s lawyer Terence Tiong requested the court to consider his client’s clean record, full cooperation with authorities, genuine remorse, financial assistance to the victim’s family and the unintentional nature of the tragedy.

Tiong said Sun is taking care of his seven-year-old son and 70-year-old mother, who rely entirely on his income, care and support for their welfare.

The first-time offender with no previous convictions in Malaysia or his home country had given RM70,000 to Marutin’s widow as bereavement payment to express deep remorse and sorrow.

Tiong also said the site of the accident at Jalan Kanowit-Durin was known as an accident-prone area.

Deputy public prosecutor Cynthia Emmelda Jerry requested the court to consider the degree of culpability as Sun had ignored the road markings and driven dangerously at the roundabout.

She also said the sentence must have a deterrent effect on other road users.