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<!-- headline one : start --><TR>Fine for drunk UK engineer who stole truck
</TR><!-- headline one : end --><!-- Author --><TR><TD class="padlrt8 georgia11 darkgrey bold" colSpan=2>By Elena Chong
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Neil Arthur was fined a total of $9,500 for theft and drink driving. -- ST PHOTO: WONG KWAI CHOW
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<!-- START OF : div id="storytext"--><!-- more than 4 paragraphs -->A BRITISH engineer was walking back to his hotel after a night out at the pub when he saw the key still in the ignition of a parked lorry and decided to steal it.
When the lorry driver, who was installing new lamp posts along Tanglin Road, tried to stop him, Neil Arthur, 37, stepped on the accelerator to drive off.
The drunk Briton ended up hitting a signboard and lamp post a short distance away.
Reversing to get out, he crashed into another lamp post and flipped the vehicle.
Arthur, who had arrived in Singapore a day before for a series of business meetings, suffered bruises to his head and cuts on his left arm from the incident on Nov 19 last year.
The UK-based engineer of a multinational company found his decision to be an even costlier one after he was charged and had his passport impounded.
Yesterday, he was fined $7,000 for the theft and $2,500 for drink driving after he admitted to stealing the lorry from Mr Lim Swee Ann, 43, at about 2.30am that day, and to driving with his blood-alcohol level exceeding the legal limit by 1-1/2 times.
The former national swimmer was also banned from driving for two years in Singapore by District Judge Jill Tan, who took two driving-related offences into consideration.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Andre Moses Tan said Arthur had been drinking with friends at Orchard Towers that night.
His lawyer, Mr Shashi Nathan, said his client's conduct had been totally out of character. He later compensated the State and the driver more than $57,000.
Mr Nathan said Arthur, who has a doctorate in engineering, had taken the vehicle as he thought he was being pursued and attacked by a group of unknown men.
He regretted what he had done and wished for a chance to move on with his life and to return home to his family in Scotland.
The father of two could have been jailed for up to three years and/or fined for theft. For drink driving, he could have been fined up to $5,000 or jailed for six months.
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<!-- headline one : start --><TR>Fine for drunk UK engineer who stole truck
</TR><!-- headline one : end --><!-- Author --><TR><TD class="padlrt8 georgia11 darkgrey bold" colSpan=2>By Elena Chong
</TD></TR><!-- show image if available --><TR vAlign=bottom><TD width=330>
</TD><TD width=10>
Neil Arthur was fined a total of $9,500 for theft and drink driving. -- ST PHOTO: WONG KWAI CHOW
</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
<!-- START OF : div id="storytext"--><!-- more than 4 paragraphs -->A BRITISH engineer was walking back to his hotel after a night out at the pub when he saw the key still in the ignition of a parked lorry and decided to steal it.
When the lorry driver, who was installing new lamp posts along Tanglin Road, tried to stop him, Neil Arthur, 37, stepped on the accelerator to drive off.
The drunk Briton ended up hitting a signboard and lamp post a short distance away.
Reversing to get out, he crashed into another lamp post and flipped the vehicle.
Arthur, who had arrived in Singapore a day before for a series of business meetings, suffered bruises to his head and cuts on his left arm from the incident on Nov 19 last year.
The UK-based engineer of a multinational company found his decision to be an even costlier one after he was charged and had his passport impounded.
Yesterday, he was fined $7,000 for the theft and $2,500 for drink driving after he admitted to stealing the lorry from Mr Lim Swee Ann, 43, at about 2.30am that day, and to driving with his blood-alcohol level exceeding the legal limit by 1-1/2 times.
The former national swimmer was also banned from driving for two years in Singapore by District Judge Jill Tan, who took two driving-related offences into consideration.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Andre Moses Tan said Arthur had been drinking with friends at Orchard Towers that night.
His lawyer, Mr Shashi Nathan, said his client's conduct had been totally out of character. He later compensated the State and the driver more than $57,000.
Mr Nathan said Arthur, who has a doctorate in engineering, had taken the vehicle as he thought he was being pursued and attacked by a group of unknown men.
He regretted what he had done and wished for a chance to move on with his life and to return home to his family in Scotland.
The father of two could have been jailed for up to three years and/or fined for theft. For drink driving, he could have been fined up to $5,000 or jailed for six months.
