SHE could barely contain her grief when she received a call that her husband had died in a car accident.
But the 26-year-old's pain quickly turned to shock - the car involved in the accident was driven by a friend.
That friend, Henry Lee, 39, had chosen to remain silent on the accident details in court.
Ms Sabina Lo's shock soon turned to fury when Lee decided not to shed more light on the accident.
Her sales supervisor husband, Mr Tan Cheng Chye, was 41 when he died after an accident outside Las Vegas KTV along Havelock Road in 2006.
That night, he was discussing supper plans with a group of friends, which included Lee.
Later, Mr Tan was found unconscious on the ground, next to the car driven by Lee.
Mr Tan died in hospital from internal bleeding a few hours later.
Lee was convicted of drink-driving, fined $3,000 and banned from driving for two years last month.
State Coroner Victor Yeo recorded an open verdict in April this year, which means that the circumstances of the death are unclear.
The Attorney-General's Chambers (AGC) said they were unable to determine if Lee had been negligent. (See report on facing page.)
The findings have left Ms Lo confused. The couple have a son, 5.
Lee, Ms Lo and her husband were colleagues at Asia Pacific-Breweries (APB).
She had only found out about the accident and her husband's death the morning after the accident as she had switched off her handphone that night.
She told The New Paper: 'I was angry when I received the call and I thought it was a joke. I didn't believe it and I thought he (Mr Tan) had got his friend to call me to ask me out.'
She had not seen her husband for about three weeks then. She said she had moved out to live alone because of a disagreement with her husband.
Her son was living with her husband and his family then.
'The next time I saw him was at the mortuary. I went alone to collect his body,' she said.
She alleged that Lee attended her husband's wake but did not acknowledge or apologise to her.
'He looked remorseful but he didn't speak to me. I didn't hear a word of 'sorry' from him at all,' she said.
She said that since the accident, her son has become more withdrawn.
During this interview, she asked him gently: 'Where's papa?'
He looked confused at first, then looked down and kept shaking his head.
He then murmured, 'No more, no more' while shaking his hand.
Ms Lo, who was a human resource co-ordinator with APB, left the company after the accident.
She is now working with an image consultancy firm.
Her husband has two daughters, aged 16 and 20, from a previous marriage.
Both of them are living with their mother.
Ms Lo said that she's now trying to come to terms with her husband's death and being a single mum to their son.
She's now renting a five-room HDB flat in Bukit Panjang with some friends.
Her in-laws take care of her son during the day when she's working.
She said: 'I've lost my husband, and my son seems to have been badly affected by his father's death.
'It is difficult bringing a child up by myself. But I've no time to grieve.'
Hazy affair
Lee told The New Paper that he doesn't know what happened on the night of the accident.
He said he only remembered getting into the car, and then finding Mr Tan on the ground.
He added: 'I don't know if I did run him over. If I did it, I would confess it.
'But I don't know what happened.
'I even had passengers in my car and no one is clear about what happened.'
He said that he got to know Mr Tan from a relative. They became friends even before they became colleagues.
On the night of the accident, he said they were out drinking.
The accident remained a hazy affair to him, even till today, he said.
'I don't feel good about the accident; he was my friend, too.
'It's not a normal accident case. It's not so simple.
'He was one of my best buddies, and I've been drinking with him frequently during that period because he had some problems,' he added.
Lee said that friends kept asking him about the court case and, even though it may be out of concern, he still feels the pain.
Lee, who's married with a six-month-old baby, just wants to move on. He is now looking for another job.
He said he continues to pay his respects to Mr Tan on his birthday, during the Seventh Month Festival and on his death anniversary.
He said: 'The past two years have been hard for me...
'I was waiting for the court's results and couldn't plan ahead.'
