A former warrant officer who lied in his statement that his wife, and not him, had driven a vehicle was jailed for one week on Monday.
Christopher Chua Chun Kiat, 44, provided false information to the Traffic Police to avoid further investigation into his alleged offence of drink driving.
Chua admitted to lying that his wife, Ms Goh Seok Lin, 40, was behind the wheel of a car along Bukit Timah Road at about 2.30am on June 3, 2013, instead of him.
He had made the false statement in writing to an officer at Traffic Police at Ubi Avenue 3 on June 4 that year.
The court heard that Station Inspector Sharul Osman was stationed at a bus stop along Bukit Timah Road, about 100m from a road block where his colleagues were, when he saw Chua drive into the driveway of the Church of the Latter Day Saints before Balmoral Plaza at about 2.30am on June 3 that year.
He followed Chua’s car and saw him change seats with the front-seat passenger Ms Goh. A friend was seated behind.
During the interview, Chua admitted to having consumed three glasses of beer at a nearby hawker centre. He also admitted that he had driven the car into the church to switch seats with his wife.
A breathalyser test was not done as Chua complained that he had breathing difficulties. He was conveyed to hospital for his blood sample to be taken.
Investigation later confirmed that contrary to his statement, he was indeed the driver of the car at the material time.
Chua’s lawyer had asked that a fine be imposed, saying his client, who runs his own security company, had an exemplary record in the Singapore Armed Forces, and the offence was out of character.
But Judge Shaiffudin Saruwan agreed with the prosecution a custodial sentence was warranted. He said Chua aggravated the situation by instigating two others to make the false statement to help him.
Chua could have been jailed for up to one year and/or fined up to $5,000.
Source: www.straitstimes.com
