KUALA LUMPUR: A lawyer has been sent to jail for 14 days after the High Court revised his sentence in a drink-driving case.
High Court judge Justice Aslam Zainuddin also imposed a RM12,000 fine on Chia Wilson, 38, and ordered him to serve an additional 12 months in jail if he fails to pay the fine.
Chia had pleaded guilty to driving a car under the influence of alcohol at Jalan Awan Besar at 12.40am on Feb 27.
The alcohol content in his body was found to be 71mg per 100ml of blood, exceeding the prescribed limit of 50mg per 100ml of blood.
Chia was charged under Section 45A(1) of the Road Transport Act 1987, which carries imprisonment for a term not exceeding two years and a fine of not less than RM10,000 and not more than RM30,000, as well as a disqualification from holding or obtaining a driving licence for a period of not less than two years from the date of conviction.
On April 15, the Magistrate’s Court sentenced him to a RM3,000 good behaviour bond.
Yesterday, the High Court invoked its discretionary power under Section 323 of the Criminal Procedure Code to call for and review the lower court’s decision, on the basis that the subordinate court’s decision was either inadequate or improper.
Earlier, Kuala Lumpur prosecution director Datuk Mohd Nordin Ismail urged the court, through its revisionary powers, to impose a jail time and a harsher penalty on Chia as the Magistrate’s Court had meted out an inadequate sentence.
He added that Chia, as a lawyer, should have known the law better and not commit the offence.
Meanwhile, lawyer Ng Chia How asked the court to maintain the lower court’s decision on grounds that his client only made a mistake and was not a hardened criminal.
“He has pleaded guilty but this mistake doesn’t erase his good deeds in the past.
“Give him a chance to turn over a new leaf. Let him do what he does best, which is contributing to society,” Ng added.
