Indian-origin lawyer in Singapore fined for drunk driving

Singapore : An Indian-origin lawyer was on Friday fined 1,600 Singapore dollars and banned from driving for a year after he pleaded guilty to a drunk driving charge.

Jeyendran Jeyapal, 39, a deputy senior state counsel, was found with 1.37 times the prescribed limit of alcohol while driving.

He admitted having an alcoholic cocktail at a pub before heading home on February 11. In submitting his own mitigation plea, Jeyendran said it was his first offence and asked for the minimum punishment. He added that he was cooperative with police officers.

Jeyapal was stopped by a traffic police officer at a road block along Second Hospital Avenue at around 5 a.m. The officer noticed that he had "alcoholic breath". He later failed a breathalyser test and was arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol.

The man said he was celebrating a friend's birthday and took the alcohol offered by the latter as he did not want to disappoint him.

District Judge Victor Yeo said that he acknowledged that Jeyendran had no other aggravating factors, such as speeding or reckless driving, nor did he cause any damage to property or injure anyone. So he was only fined along with driving ban for a year.

For his first drink driving offence, Jeyendran could have been jailed for up to six months or fined between 1,000 and $5,000 Singapore dollars.