Ex-RSAF officer jailed for second drink driving offence
A former Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF) lieutenant-colonel has been convicted of drink driving for the second time in 10 years.
S. Vengadeshwaran, who used to serve as an honorary aide-de-camp (ADC) to former presidents SR Nathan and Tony Tan Keng Yam, drank three pints of beer before getting behind the wheel in February last year.
He was later stopped for a spot check at a roadblock and 56 micrograms (mcg) of alcohol were found in every 100ml of his breath. The prescribed limit is 35mcg.
Vengadeshwaran, 39, who resigned from the RSAF, was sentenced yesterday to two weeks' jail and a fine of $4,000 after pleading guilty to a drink-driving charge.
He was also disqualified from driving all classes of vehicles for three years and a month.
The court heard that in 2008, he was fined $2,000 and banned from driving for a year following his first drink-driving conviction.
According to the Istana website, full-time ADCs to the president attend to his or her general administration, security and social needs.
They also accompany the president at events such as state functions and ceremonies.
Honorary ADCs assist their full-time counterparts in performing their duties.
Vengadeshwaran had been drinking with a friend at an Aliwal Street pub near Beach Road shortly after midnight on Feb 4 last year.
He left around 2am to drive home. About 45 minutes later, he made a wrong turn and ended up driving along Jalan Toa Payoh towards the Pan-Island Expressway, where he was stopped at a road block.
Vengadeshwaran was arrested after failing a breathalyser test.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Teo Lu Jia urged District Judge Lorraine Ho to sentence Vengadeshwaran to at least two weeks' jail, adding that he had previously been fined for multiple other traffic offences, including speeding.
Vengadeshwaran is now out on bail of $15,000 and will surrender himself at the State Courts next Tuesday to begin serving his sentence.
For drink driving, first-time offenders can be jailed for up to six months or fined between $1,000 and $5,000.
Repeat offenders can be jailed for up to a year and fined between $3,000 and $10,000.
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