$4k fine for doctor who drove car after drinking beer, tried to swop seats when he saw roadblock
In an attempt to evade arrest, a doctor who drove a car after drinking beer tried to change seats with his passenger when he spotted a police roadblock.
The passenger refused to do so and Nah Kwang Meng, who practises at Dr Nah & Lee Family Clinic in Woodlands, initially failed a breathalyser test after he stepped out of the vehicle.
He was later found to have 32 micrograms of alcohol in 100 millilitres of breath – below the prescribed legal limit of 35 micrograms.
Even though he had not been drink driving, Nah, 41, was fined $4,000 on Friday after he pleaded guilty to one count of attempting to perform an act that could pervert the course of justice.
Assistant Public Prosecutor Chye Jer Yuan told the court that before going behind the wheel on July 14, 2022, Nah had dinner and consumed around three to four glasses of beer.
He was driving along Sophia Road towards Upper Wilkie Road shortly before 11.30pm when he spotted a police roadblock.
The APP said: “The accused requested his front-seat passenger to swop seats with him, so that he would not be presented as the driver of the vehicle at the roadblock.
“He believed that he would fail the alcohol breathalyser test and would be arrested for drink driving if the police found out that he was the driver. The accused continued in persuading him to swop seats, despite being rejected by his front passenger several times.”
A Traffic Police officer approached Nah when he stepped out of the car. Nah claimed that he alighted to retrieve surgical masks from the boot of the vehicle to pass to his passenger.
He was arrested after he failed the breathalyser test. Another test was conducted and the amount of alcohol in his breath was later found to be below the prescribed legal limit.
Nah was represented by lawyers Chooi Jing Yen and Chen Yongxin from the Eugene Thuraisingam law firm.
Mr Chooi said Nah wanted to plead guilty to his offence from the outset and stressed that the latter did not change seats with the passenger.
Court documents did not disclose the identity of the passenger and how Nah’s attempt to swop seats came to light.
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