Claire Sng Wei Ying was fined S$10,000 after she pleaded guilty to performing an act that could obstruct the course of justice. - Photo: ST
SINGAPORE: A man who crashed his car near his home after consuming alcohol asked his passenger to get him a bottle of alcohol from his apartment.
Court documents stated that Claire Sng Wei Ying returned with a gym shaker bottle containing gin and Samuel Gomes-Lim Jia’En, 35 then drank almost all of its contents.
As a result, a Traffic Police officer could not determine his actual breath alcohol concentration at the time of the accident.
On Monday (Dec 15), Sng, 27, was fined S$10,000 after she pleaded guilty to performing an act that could obstruct the course of justice. Gomes-Lim’s case is still pending.
Deputy Public Prosecutor (DPP) Teng Yin Hang told the court that shortly before the accident, the pair had lunch at a Sentosa beach at around 2pm on April 14, 2024, and shared two cans of alcoholic soda, among other things.
The pair left the beach about three hours later and entered the car.
The DPP said that Gomes-Lim was entering his condominium complex in the Dairy Farm area at around 6pm when the vehicle crashed into a pillar.
Gomes-Lim and Sng then exited the car and took a lift to an unspecified floor at the property.
The prosecutor added: “After a brief period, they returned to the accident site... When some of the residents and the security caught up with them, (Gomes-Lim) attempted to run, but was restrained and made to sit on a bench whilst waiting for the police to arrive.”
Gomes-Lim then gestured for Sng to come over.
According to court documents, he told her to go to his apartment and get him a bottle of alcohol.
Sng complied and filled a 750ml gym shaker bottle with gin to around two-thirds full.
DPP Teng said that she later handed the bottle to Gomes-Lim, who consumed almost all of its contents.
When a Traffic Police officer arrived at the scene, Gomes-Lim exclaimed that he had consumed alcohol.
Because Gomes-Lim had just consumed the alcohol, the officer was unable to determine Gomes-Lim’s actual breath alcohol concentration at the time of the accident.
Later, at about 9pm, the officer told Gomes-Lim to provide his breath sample for a breathalyser test.
The prosecutor told the court that Gomes-Lim initially refused to comply and told the officer that he had consumed alcohol after the accident.
He finally agreed to provide his breath sample at around 10.15pm, the court heard.
Gomes-Lim was then found to have 73 micrograms of alcohol in 100ml of breath.
This was more than double the prescribed limit of 35mcg of alcohol in the same amount of breath.
Sng was represented by lawyers Suang Wijaya and Ng Yuan Siang.
On Dec 15, Wijaya asked for Sng to not be placed behind bars, stressing that she had not benefited from the offence.
He also said that prior to the current case, his client, who is remorseful, had not committed any acts of crime. - The Straits Times/ANN
