Drunk driver who caused collision jailed for attempted bribery

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Drunk driver who caused collision jailed for attempted bribery
By Alvina Soh | Posted: 26 September 2011 1711 hrs

SINGAPORE: A 35-year-old housewife was jailed eight weeks for attempting to bribe police officers with S$20,000 to let her off for causing a four-car collision.

Doris Lim Wee Fern, who has four children aged between five and 17 years, was under the influence of alcohol when she committed the offence on October 2 last year.

The petite woman, who turned up in court with her children on Monday, remained emotionless as she was sentenced. She pleaded guilty to two charges of bribery.

Policemen on patrol had seen her causing a four-car collision as she was driving out of a carpark in Yishun Ave 4.

Lim had been drinking at a coffeshop in that area just before that. She failed a breathalyser test and, when informed that she would have to take a second breathalyser test at a police station, tried to bribe the officers several times to let her go.

She was arrested and taken to the police station, where she again attempted to bribe them - this time with S$20,000.

District Judge Ms Jasbendar Kaur said Lim's attempts to bribe police officers was a serious matter and she noted that Lim was persistent about it.

Ms Kaur noted that the bribe Lim offered was also a large one. She also rejected Lim's mitigation plea that she was "emboldened" due to the effects of alcohol and was acting out of character. Ms Kaur said she "did not think that made it appropriate to treat the effects of alcohol as a mitigating factor".

Lim could have been jailed five years and fined S$100,000 for each charge.

-CNA/ac