CJ rejects argument of retired SAF regular who appealed against jail for drink driving – A retired Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) warrant officer who was given a week’s jail for drink driving appealed for a fine, arguing that he risked losing a payout of more than $273,000 he was entitled to get upon retirement if a custodial sentence was imposed.
This argument was rejected by Chief Justice Sundaresh Menon, who said downstream consequences that could befall an offender cannot be taken into account in sentencing.
Rejecting the argument, Singapore Chief Justice Sundaresh Menon said downstream consequences that could befall an offender cannot be taken into account in sentencing.
Taking account of extrinsic factors could result in a fundamental assault on the criminal justice system
said Chief Justice Sundaresh Menon in his written grounds
On midnight of September 9, 2018, Raveendran was driving home after having beer with friends but lost control of his car which mounted the centre divider and hit the guard railings. He also failed the on-site preliminary breath test.
A further test at the police station showed that he had 91 micrograms of alcohol per 100 ml of breath, which exceeded the prescribed limit of 35 micrograms. Raveendran later footed the bill of SGD 1,438.50 for repairs to the railings. Last year, he pleaded guilty to a charge of drunk driving.
He had sought a SGD 4,000 fine before the district court, arguing that he risked losing bonus and gratuity payments if he were to be jailed. The district judge said this did not justify a reduction in his sentence.
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You can read more about more over at https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/courts-crime/cj-rejects-argument-of-retired-saf-regular-who-appealed-against-jail-for
