Man gets 21 months' jail for driving when disqualified from doing so

[Shin Orochi]

Man gets 21 months' jail for driving when disqualified from doing so
By Zul Othman | Posted: 10 May 2010 1603 hrs
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SINGAPORE : A man has been sentenced to 21 months' jail for driving even though he had been disqualified from doing so. 38-year-old Lim Keng Chuan had also injured a police officer in the process. The court heard that on June 17 last year, two traffic police officers visited the Yishun carpark near where Lim lived.

At about 11am, as Lim was driving off in his Mazda, he was approached by the two officers. He then continued moving off, injuring one of the officers, Pek Kang Siong. The officer had tried to hold on to the car door and reached for Lim's ignition key and was dragged over a distance of about one car length. He suffered minor injuries.

Lim then fled the scene, but was later arrested. Lim had been convicted twice for drink driving in 2004 and 2007. In his latest conviction, he was banned from driving for three years. Prosecutors asked for a "strong signal" to be sent out about driving while still under disqualification. In addition, Lim had endangered the lives of police officers while escaping. Defence lawyer Subhas Anandan said in Lim's mitigation that he had pleaded guilty to his crimes and had cooperated with the authorities since his arrest.

- CNA/al

 

[Tadakatsu Honda]

Jailed hurting cop


May 11, 2010
Jailed hurting cop

A DRAFTSMAN continued driving even while under a three-year disqualification for a drink-driving offence. And when two police officers tried to arrest Lim Keng Chuan last June, he swerved his car into Staff Sergeant Pek Kang Siong, injuring the officer's hand. Yesterday, a district court jailed Lim for a year for driving under disqualification and a further nine months for hurting the police officer.

The 38-year-old was also jailed a month for driving without insurance but the term will run together with his 21-month sentence. He was also disqualified from driving for 10 years. In 2007, Lim had been jailed for three weeks, fined $6,000 and disqualified from driving for three years after being caught drink-driving. Three years before that, he had been fined $2,000 and disqualified for 1-1/2 years for a similar offence.

Read the full story in Tuesday's edition of The Straits Times.
KHUSHWANT SINGH

 

[lauhumku]

Errant motorist jailed 21 months

by Zul Othman
05:55 AM May 11, 2010

SINGAPORE - An errant motorist was jailed a total of 21 months yesterday - 12 months for driving while disqualified and another nine months for injuring a policeman while making his getaway.

Deputy Public Prosecutor (DPP) Navin Thevar had asked the court to give Lim Keng Chuan (picture) a 12 month sentence - three for driving while disqualified and nine for injuring the policeman - to send a "strong signal" to the accused and other would-be offenders. But Judge Roy Neighbour meted out an additional nine months for the first charge because several "aggravating factors" warranted it. He did not elaborate.

Lim, 38, had been disqualified from holding or obtaining all classes of driving licences for a period of three years following his second conviction of driving under the influence of alcohol in June 2007. His first conviction was in September 2004. On June 17 last year, however, two traffic police officers confronted Lim at a car park in Yishun as he was about to drive away in his Mazda.

Sgt Pek Kang Siong, who had identified himself, held on to Lim's car door and tried to grab the ignition key. But Lim stepped on the accelerator, dragging the officer over a distance of about one car length. Sgt Pek then let go of the car and fell onto the boot of the police vehicle. Lim fled the scene but was arrested later. The officer injured his left hand but was not hospitalised.

Lim's lawyer, Mr Subhas Anandan, said his client had pleaded guilty at the earliest instance and had cooperated with the authorities since. DPP Navin, however, said that Lim's conduct showed no credible mitigating factors. "The accused hit the victim with his vehicle because he knew that he was driving whilst under disqualification, and that he would have been arrested if he did not flee the scene immediately," he said.

The DPP said Lim had "jettisoned any attempt at responsible driving in a desperate attempt to get away from the scene by accelerating his vehicle towards the victim, despite seeing (the victim) standing right in front of him and knowing fully that it was highly likely that he would have collided with the victim as a result".

 

[konglanjiaowei]

Driving jail term reduced


Aug 31, 2010
Driving jail term reduced

<!-- by line --> By Selina Lum
<!-- end by line -->
A DRINK driving offender sent to jail for driving while under a ban had his sentence reduced on Tuesday by an appeal judge, who said he had to do it on principle, because it was heavier than normal. However, Justice V. K. Rajah lambasted the man's conduct, and said it was the 'one of the most extreme cases' he had seen.

Not only was Lim Keng Chuan, 39, driving under disqualification, he had also resisted arrest when the police laid an ambush for him, and hurt an officer in the process. He was initially jailed 21 months on three charges by a district court in April but had three months shaved off on Tuesday.

The reduction hinged on the sentence imposed on the charge for driving while under disqualification. Lim was given a year's jail on that charge by the lower court, when the sentencing norm was six months. On Tuesday, Justice Rajah said that the term was 'on the high side' and cannot be justified, no matter how 'deplorable' Lim's conduct may be.

He cut the one-year term to eight months, noting that it was still longer than existing sentencing precedents. He ordered this to run consecutively with the sentences for Lim's two other offences - nine months for hurting the police officer and one month for driving without insurance - making a total of 18 months.

 

[bebo]

Police should lock up these peiple

 

[zuoom]

Re: Driving jail term reduced

even if the 12 months sentence is cut to 8 months, it's still above the 6 months norm no?

and if "cannot be justified", then how come still 8 months? shouldn't it be 6? at least that's how i'm reading it (as per the report).