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http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/singapore/bus-driver-who-drank-vodka-at-the-wheel-jailed-and-banned-from-9049230
Singapore
Bus driver who drank vodka at the wheel jailed and banned from driving
Nagibullah Raja Saleem who was sacked by SBS Transit (Photo: Robin Choo/TODAY)
By Vanessa Paige Chelvan
20 Jul 2017 08:12PM
SINGAPORE: A former SBS Transit bus driver who sipped vodka at the wheel, beat six red lights and caused four near-collisions last year was jailed for 15 months on Thursday (Jul 20).
Nagibullah Raja Saleem, 27, was disqualified from driving for 10 years for drink driving and rash driving. He was also given the maximum fine of S$1,000 for using his mobile phone while driving - taking both hands off the wheel for about 20 seconds while doing so.
CCTV cameras on the bus caught Nagibullah driving bus service 162 recklessly on Jun 29, 2016. The bus encroached into the next lane into oncoming traffic along Orchard Turn, towards Orchard Road and it swerved left and right, causing near-collisions along Keppel Road and on the CTE.
Alarmed passengers could be heard shouting “Hey, hey, hey” at Nagibullah, but the driver ignored their warnings, continuing to sip from the 330ml bottle of blackcurrant vodka at least six times throughout the journey from 4.15pm to 6.15pm.
At one point, Nagibullah fell asleep at the wheel for about a minute.
When the CCTV footage was played in court, District Judge Kenneth Yap described the scenes as “surreal”, like an “action movie or video game”.
The court heard that when the bus arrived at the Shenton Way bus terminal after Nagibullah's shift, other drivers noticed he had not parked the bus properly and complained he had driven against the flow of traffic when he entered the terminal.
A colleague went to check on him and found Nagibullah sitting at the wheel, the bottle of vodka next to him.
After the colleague re-parked the bus, he called the police. Officers found Nagibullah reeking of alcohol and noticed he was flushed in the face and had bloodshot eyes and slurred speech.
Nagibullah said he drank alcohol before his shift at 3.30pm that day and he also admitted to taking sips of vodka while on duty.
When given a breathalyser test at about 11.05pm, Nagibullah had 84 microgrammes of alcohol per 100 milliliters of breath – 2.4 times the legal limit.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Parvathi Menon said the case is “unprecedented” in Singapore. “He did not just drink and drive; he drank while driving,” she told the court.
Because of the “particularly atrocious” manner in which he drove the bus and because he was “heavily intoxicated”, the danger he posed to other road users around him was particularly high, the prosecutor added.
Two passengers approached Nagibullah to ask if he was okay, and one even warned him that she would report him if he did not drive carefully. Nagibullah ignored them, making a "conscious decision” to continue drinking and driving, DPP Menon said.
Nagibullah’s lawyer Richard Siaw said the drunken episode was an “isolated event” and highlighted that he was previously a “star performer” that had been handpicked out of 600 bus captains to be part of a publicity video for the Land Transport Authority.
Mr Siaw, who called a 10-year disqualification from driving "outrageous", said Nagibullah suffered a breakdown the day of the incident.
That day, Nagibullah had met an ex-girlfriend for lunch before his shift and both had a heated argument, his lawyer told the court. The woman had been hounding him for months as she did not take their split well. “The weeks and months leading up to that fateful day were slowly pushing our client to the edge of the emotional cliff,” Nagibullah's lawyer said. And he “snapped” when his ex-girlfriend told him to leave his wife and marry her instead, Mr Siaw stated.
In sentencing Nagibullah, Judge Yap said the driver had been “highly irresponsible and reckless”. He had “broken every rule in the book”, from beating red lights to taking his hands off the wheel, the judge noted.
He added that a “stern” sentence is warranted in this case, because anyone getting behind the wheel of a heavy vehicle "should never be tempted to do this”. Nagibullah may have been an excellent employee, but he still made an error judgement, the judge said, adding: “It is purely fortuitous no damage (or) loss of life was caused”.
Nagibullah was sentenced to five months’ jail for drink driving and 10 months’ jail for rash driving, resulting in a total of 15 months behind bars.
For drink driving, he could have been jailed for up to six months and/or fined between S$1,000 to S$5,000. For rash driving, Nagibullah could have been jailed for up to one year and/or fined up to S$5,000.
Singapore
Bus driver who drank vodka at the wheel jailed and banned from driving
Nagibullah Raja Saleem who was sacked by SBS Transit (Photo: Robin Choo/TODAY)
By Vanessa Paige Chelvan
20 Jul 2017 08:12PM
SINGAPORE: A former SBS Transit bus driver who sipped vodka at the wheel, beat six red lights and caused four near-collisions last year was jailed for 15 months on Thursday (Jul 20).
Nagibullah Raja Saleem, 27, was disqualified from driving for 10 years for drink driving and rash driving. He was also given the maximum fine of S$1,000 for using his mobile phone while driving - taking both hands off the wheel for about 20 seconds while doing so.
CCTV cameras on the bus caught Nagibullah driving bus service 162 recklessly on Jun 29, 2016. The bus encroached into the next lane into oncoming traffic along Orchard Turn, towards Orchard Road and it swerved left and right, causing near-collisions along Keppel Road and on the CTE.
Alarmed passengers could be heard shouting “Hey, hey, hey” at Nagibullah, but the driver ignored their warnings, continuing to sip from the 330ml bottle of blackcurrant vodka at least six times throughout the journey from 4.15pm to 6.15pm.
At one point, Nagibullah fell asleep at the wheel for about a minute.
When the CCTV footage was played in court, District Judge Kenneth Yap described the scenes as “surreal”, like an “action movie or video game”.
The court heard that when the bus arrived at the Shenton Way bus terminal after Nagibullah's shift, other drivers noticed he had not parked the bus properly and complained he had driven against the flow of traffic when he entered the terminal.
A colleague went to check on him and found Nagibullah sitting at the wheel, the bottle of vodka next to him.
After the colleague re-parked the bus, he called the police. Officers found Nagibullah reeking of alcohol and noticed he was flushed in the face and had bloodshot eyes and slurred speech.
Nagibullah said he drank alcohol before his shift at 3.30pm that day and he also admitted to taking sips of vodka while on duty.
When given a breathalyser test at about 11.05pm, Nagibullah had 84 microgrammes of alcohol per 100 milliliters of breath – 2.4 times the legal limit.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Parvathi Menon said the case is “unprecedented” in Singapore. “He did not just drink and drive; he drank while driving,” she told the court.
Because of the “particularly atrocious” manner in which he drove the bus and because he was “heavily intoxicated”, the danger he posed to other road users around him was particularly high, the prosecutor added.
Two passengers approached Nagibullah to ask if he was okay, and one even warned him that she would report him if he did not drive carefully. Nagibullah ignored them, making a "conscious decision” to continue drinking and driving, DPP Menon said.
Nagibullah’s lawyer Richard Siaw said the drunken episode was an “isolated event” and highlighted that he was previously a “star performer” that had been handpicked out of 600 bus captains to be part of a publicity video for the Land Transport Authority.
Mr Siaw, who called a 10-year disqualification from driving "outrageous", said Nagibullah suffered a breakdown the day of the incident.
That day, Nagibullah had met an ex-girlfriend for lunch before his shift and both had a heated argument, his lawyer told the court. The woman had been hounding him for months as she did not take their split well. “The weeks and months leading up to that fateful day were slowly pushing our client to the edge of the emotional cliff,” Nagibullah's lawyer said. And he “snapped” when his ex-girlfriend told him to leave his wife and marry her instead, Mr Siaw stated.
In sentencing Nagibullah, Judge Yap said the driver had been “highly irresponsible and reckless”. He had “broken every rule in the book”, from beating red lights to taking his hands off the wheel, the judge noted.
He added that a “stern” sentence is warranted in this case, because anyone getting behind the wheel of a heavy vehicle "should never be tempted to do this”. Nagibullah may have been an excellent employee, but he still made an error judgement, the judge said, adding: “It is purely fortuitous no damage (or) loss of life was caused”.
Nagibullah was sentenced to five months’ jail for drink driving and 10 months’ jail for rash driving, resulting in a total of 15 months behind bars.
For drink driving, he could have been jailed for up to six months and/or fined between S$1,000 to S$5,000. For rash driving, Nagibullah could have been jailed for up to one year and/or fined up to S$5,000.
