Chua Ah Seng was sentenced to six weeks’ jail and a fine of S$21,000 after admitting to one count of drink driving and another count of driving without due care and attention. - Photo: ST
SINGAPORE: A man who was convicted of drink driving more than a decade ago did it again and was caught this time when he tried to enter a carpark through its exit.
On Thursday (Feb 20), Chua Ah Seng, 68, was sentenced to six weeks’ jail and fined S$21,000 after admitting to one count of drink driving and another of driving without due care and attention.
He was also disqualified from holding or obtaining driving licences for 84 months after his release from jail.
At around midnight on Aug 20, 2024, Chua tried to enter the carpark of Block 109 Lorong 1 Toa Payoh via its exit.
Unable to enter the carpark, he put his car into reverse but lost control and mounted the road kerb.
A breathalyser test showed he had 79 micrograms (mcg) of alcohol in 100ml of breath – more than twice the legal limit of 35mcg.
Chua had previously been convicted of drink driving in May 2008, when he was found to have 73mcg of alcohol in 100ml of breath.
Court documents then noted that he was liable for a heavier penalty as a repeat offender, though they did not state his sentence.
Handing down the sentence on Feb 20, District Judge Shawn Ho said Chua’s alcohol level was higher than his previous offence.
The judge added that Chua had posed a danger to other road users and had a passenger in his car at the time.
In court, Chua said he could not afford the fine and pleaded with Judge Ho to lower the amount.
Judge Ho noted that his sentence was far from the maximum penalty. “(The) fines are nowhere even near where it could have gone potentially,” he said.
If Chua is unable to pay the $21,000 fine, he will serve an additional 42 days in jail.
He was one of 21 motorists aged between 31 and 68, who were charged on Feb 20 with drink driving.
The police said these motorists were arrested between July 2024 and February 2025 after failing breathalyser tests during enforcement checks.
Two of them, Wang Jinping, 41 and Francis Ng Tien Ming, 42, are also repeat offenders.
Wang allegedly had 53mcg of alcohol in 100ml breath while driving along Upper Cross Street on Dec 14, 2024, at about 3.40am.
Ng purportedly had 54mcg of alcohol in every 100ml of breath when he drove a van along Nicoll Highway on July 6, 2024, at about 3.40am.
Wang and Ng were previously convicted of drink driving in May and June 2016 respectively. If found guilty again, both men will face a mandatory jail sentence.
First-time offenders of drink driving face a fine of between $2,000 and $10,000, up to 12 months’ jail, or both.
Repeat offenders face a fine of between $5,000 and $20,000 and up to two years’ jail.
Police statistics show that there were 10 deaths from 123 accidents caused by drink driving in the first nine months of 2024.
In the same period, about 1,260 people were arrested for drink driving. More recent numbers are not yet available. - The Straits Times/ANN
