SINGAPORE: A woman who was stopped at a police roadblock and had her breathalyzer test fail pleaded guilty to drunk driving, but she claimed that her gastroesophageal reflux disease ( GERD ) may have had an impact on the test’s outcome.
The person then cited her intestinal state as a” contributing factor” after being informed that her guilty plea could not be accepted if she stood by this because she was largely contesting her beer levels.
Salimah Bi Saleem Jewahar, 28, admitted guilt to one count of drunk driving and was given a two-year driving ban in addition to an S$ 2, 500 ( US$ 1, 800 ) fine.
She is suing the driving ban, according to a ruling that was made public on Tuesday( Nov. 7 ).
Salimah was reportedly with her boss at her Ubi business around 6 p.m. on July 5th, according to information provided to the jury.
She consumed a glass of gin and tonic between 6 and 7.30 p.m. After that, she was going to go home, but a friend called to pick her up at Aliwal Street because she had consumed too much drinking.
Salimah was & nbsp stopped for checks along Crawford Street at a police roadblock around 1.15 am on July 6 after picking up her friend.
She was brought to the customers police office for a breathalyzer test after failing the breath test. & nbsp,
Every 100ml of Salimah’s mouth contained 46 micrograms of alcohol, according to the test, which was administered at 2.35 a.m. 35 micrograms of beer per 100ml of mouth was the upper limit.
Salimah was sought after by the trial for a two-year driving restrictions and an S$ 2,500 good.
Unrepresented Salimah made the prevention hypothesis that her GERD may have affected the breathalyzer outcome as well as her stomach’s exercise.
Salimah changed her prevention plea after learning that her plea could not be accepted if she adhered to this and effectively contested the alcohol level shown in the test results.
In her amended appeal, she stated that she would like to draw the court’s attention to the fact that her GERD was” a special problem” in her situation in the hopes of possibly shortening her driving ban.
She declared that she had no intention of challenging the breathalyzer checking. Otherwise, she sought the court’s” compassion and understanding” regarding the” possible effect of GERD.” & nbsp,
She presented medical records to demonstrate that she had” chest bloatedness and GERD symptoms for a few years.”
She did not, however, provide any information regarding the potential impact of GERD or the reasons why it might be a” contributing element” to the offense, the court noted.
She clarified that she” simply wished that the court consider her suffering from GERD as a” potential health condition” when passing sentence when questioned by the judge about this.
Salimah added that although she doesn’t generally drink alcohol, she made the decision to do so that evening because she had a work gathering with important investors for an expansion project. She claimed that she chose to accept a drink out of” value” for the situation.
She vowed not to jeopardize her job and the progress she had made in life by testing the limits of the rules again, claiming that after years of arduous work and having learned a priceless lesson.
The judge declared that Salimah’s claim that she had GERD was” neither these nor there.” There was no proof offered as to what probable impact the problem might have on the offense.
A first-time drinker faces a prison sentence of up to 12 months as well as fines ranging from S$ 2, 000 to S$ 10 000, or both. & nbsp,
In addition, the judge may order that the criminal been barred from driving for at least two years, barring any particular circumstances.