A 30-YEAR-OLD businessman who had been banned from driving got behind the wheel last November.

This would have been an offence in itself, but he also knocked down and caused the death of a 79-year-old woman - and drove off after that.

Charles Lee Cheow Loong left behind a calling card at the accident scene: the front licence plate of his BMW, so police were able to track him down.

Yesterday, the hit-and-run driver pleaded guilty to five related charges - causing Madam Pang Hong Koo's death through a rash act, driving under disqualification, failing to render assistance, moving his car from the scene without clearance and driving without insurance coverage.

Deputy Public Prosecutor Lim Tse Haw said that after the collision at 6.40am in Eu Tong Sen Street last November, Lee stopped his BMW car a distance away.

On seeing Madam Pang lying motionless, he drove to Balestier Road and parked the car in the basement carpark of Balestier Towers.

Police found that the car was registered to a Mr Kelris Lim Chuan Keat, who said Lee, his business partner, had bought the car from him for $20,000 and was the driver.

Lee surrendered himself the next day. He had not registered the change in ownership because he was an undischarged bankrupt.

Two months before, he had been fined $2,400 by a traffic court and banned from driving for 18 months for drink driving.

Investigations showed that on the day of the accident, he went to the Ministry of Sound in Clarke Quay after the close of business at the pub he co-managed with Mr Lim.

After a few hours there, he left in the car to return to the pub to do some work.

He was driving home when he hit Madam Pang at the pedestrian crossing. She died about half an hour later of multiple injuries.

District Judge Roy Neighbour adjourned the case to Nov 23 for mitigation and sentencing.