MIRI: A 40-year-old man was sentenced to a day’s jail and fined RM10,200 for driving with an alcohol concentration almost three times the legal limit.
Magistrate Sandy Yvette Freddy imposed the sentence after the accused pleaded guilty to driving under the influence of alcohol along Jalan Miri-Airport in the early hours of Apr 22.
The court heard that the man, a father of four, had 144mg of alcohol per 100ml of blood, against the prescribed limit of 50mg per 100ml.
Sandy said she had taken into consideration the accused’s guilty plea, the submissions made by both sides and the high alcohol concentration detected in his blood.
The magistrate also took into account the frequency of road crashes involving drink-driving cases.
The accused was further disqualified from holding a driving licence for two years from the date of conviction.
He paid the RM10,200 fine. In default, he would have been jailed for three months.
The court heard that officers from the Miri District Traffic Investigation and Enforcement Division (BSPTD) were conducting an anti-drink-driving operation in the city when they spotted the accused’s Nissan Almera being driven in a suspicious manner.
The vehicle was stopped and the accused underwent a breathalyser test using an SD2+ device, which returned a positive reading for alcohol.
He was subsequently detained and a blood specimen was sent to the Chemistry Department of Malaysia in Bintulu for analysis.
The chemical analysis confirmed an alcohol concentration of 144mg per 100ml of blood.
The vehicle was also seized for further investigation.
The accused was charged under Section 45A(1) of the Road Transport Act 1987, as amended in 2020.
The section provides for a fine of up to RM30,000 and imprisonment of up to two years, as well as disqualification from holding or obtaining a driving licence.
Deputy Public Prosecutor ASP Mary Ong prosecuted. The accused was not represented.
