ALOR GAJAH: An express bus driver who was caught driving under the influence of drugs was jailed for seven months and fined RM8,000 by a Magistrate’s Court here.
Magistrate Dr Teoh Shu Yee meted out the sentence yesterday after Mohd Tamrin Ibrahim pleaded guilty to a charge of dangerous driving while under the influence of drugs.
The 53-year-old was charged with driving in a dangerous manner at KM196.1 of the North-South Expressway near the Ayer Keroh interchange at about 3.50am on April 15.
The offence, framed under Section 42(1) of the Road Transport Act 1987 (Amendment 2020) read together with Section 34 of the Penal Code, provides for a jail term of up to five years, a fine ranging from RM5,000 to RM15,000, and disqualification from holding or obtaining a driving licence for not less than five years upon conviction.
Based on the statement of facts, the accused was found to have been driving in a dangerous manner by leaning back in his seat and steering the vehicle with only one hand.
The accused was also under the influence of drugs at the material time while transporting 15 passengers, thereby endangering them as well as other road users.
The incident was captured by a passenger and later circulated widely on social media, attracting significant public attention.
Deputy public prosecutor Muhamad Ehsan Nasarudin urged the court to impose a deterrent sentence of at least 12 months in jail, citing the seriousness of the offence and its wide circulation.
Defence counsel Kamariah Md Yusof pleaded for leniency, saying the accused was a widower who earned about RM2,500 a month as a bus driver and suffered from asthma.
The court also ordered that the accused be disqualified from holding or obtaining a driving licence for five years from the date of conviction.
On April 16, police tracked down the driver after a video clip showing him driving one-handed while leaning back in his seat went viral.
Alor Gajah OCPD Supt Ahmad Abu Bakar was reported as saying that the man tested positive for syabu and admitted to taking the drug prior to the journey.The express bus was travelling from Ipoh to Johor Baru at the time.
