In a recent court ruling, Jonathan David Rees, a 46-year-old director at Google Cloud, has been sentenced to two weeks in jail, fined S$7,000, and banned from driving for 42 months following a drink driving incident. The verdict, delivered on August 21, addresses Rees’s reckless behavior that resulted in significant damage near Singapore’s Supreme Court.
Rees, an Australian national, pleaded guilty to charges of drink driving and driving without due care under Singapore’s Road Traffic Act. His legal representation, Mr. Christopher de Souza from Lee & Lee, sought either a fine or a reduced jail term of one week, but the court proceeded with the harsher penalties.
The incident occurred on the night of March 22, when Rees, after consuming four to five cans of house lager at a Robinson Road bar, chose to drive despite knowing the legal restrictions on alcohol consumption and driving in Singapore. He left the bar around 10 p.m. and, approximately an hour later, drove his leased car into a directional sign and a pedestrian beacon pole near the Supreme Court.
Rees’s vehicle, which mounted the curb and halted near a lamp post, caused considerable damage. The beacon pole was nearly uprooted, and the directional sign was dented. The damage to Rees’s car included a flat front left tire and two punctured right tires.
Supreme Court security guards and traffic police arrived promptly at the scene. A breathalyser test revealed Rees’s breath contained 79 microgrammes of alcohol per 100 millilitres, well above the legal limit of 35 microgrammes. Following his arrest, Rees was transported to the traffic police headquarters for further analysis.
In addition to the criminal penalties, Rees has compensated the Land Transport Authority (LTA) S$589.36 for the repairs of the damaged pole and sign.
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