SINGAPORE : BreadTalk's founder and managing director, George Quek, has been charged with drink-driving.
The 48-year-old also faces another charge of driving without due care or reasonable consideration.
The Subordinate Courts heard that in the early hours of 8 October 2004, Mr Quek had apparently lost control of his Porsche, and crashed into a police car at a road block along Ang Mo Kio Avenue 1.
He is believed to have been drunk at that time.
It is not known if anyone was seriously injured in the accident.
Another vehicle was also involved in the collision.
The entrepreneur, who runs the bakery chain BreadTalk, is out on S$5,000 bail.
He is expected to appear in court again next month.
If found guilty, the businessman may be fined S$5,000, or jailed for up to six months.
He may also lose his driver's licence.
For the charge of driving without due care, he could face a fine of S$1,000 and a six-month jail term.
Mr Quek, who holds an honorary PhD in Business Administration, was the winner of the "Entrepreneur of the Year" award in 2002. - CNA /ct
The founder and managing director of confectionery chain BreadTalk has been slapped with a S$4,000 fine and suspended from driving for 30 months.
Forty-eight-year-old George Quek was charged with drink driving after his black Porsche hit a stationary police car at a roadblock last October.
Quek, the Entrepreneur Of The Year in 2002, also failed a breathalyser test.
He told the court he was entertaining some business associates from overseas that day.
The court heard he recorded 61 micrograms of alcohol per 100 ml of breath -- that is above the legal limit of 35 micrograms.
In mitigation, his lawyer said he had not caused any injury and Quek, speaking in Mandarin, also said he was remorseful and asked the judge to give him a chance.
But District Judge Ronald Gwee, in meting out the sentence, said Quek was fortunate not to have caused any injury.
The charge and sentence would, otherwise, have been different.
He pointed to recent media reports on the prevalence of drink driving despite stiff sentences, adding that a strong message must be sent out that this could not be tolerated.
It was also a misconception that some rest after a drink would cause the alcohol to dissipate sufficiently.
For the drink driving charge, Quek has been suspended from driving for two and a half years, and fined S$3,000.
He was fined an additional S$1,000 for driving without reasonable consideration.
Police statements also revealed Quek had smelled of alcohol, and had blood shot eyes and slurred speech at the time of the accident.
The judge also said the traffic police's message is a simple one: if you drink, don't drive.
Kangaroo court at it's best :oIo:
