TAWAU: A single father who under the influence of alcohol crashed into five vehicles and an RHB Bank branch here, causing RM200,000 loss to the financial institution, was jailed nine months and fined a total of RM11,300 for three traffic offences.
Mohd Shafiezan Hassan, 25, pleaded guilty before Magistrate Don Stiwin Malanjum to three counts against him, namely driving under the influence of alcohol, driving without a licence and driving an uninsured vehicle.
AdvertisementOn the first count, Mohd Shafiezan was jailed nine months and fined RM10,000 or three months’ jail for drink-driving as he was found to have 243 milligrams (mg) of alcohol in 100 millilitres (ml) of his blood, which was more than four times the legal limit of 50mg, during a breathalyser test with the EBA II device.
He was charged under Section 45A(1) of the Road Transport Act (APJ) 1987 (Act 333/87), which carries a penalty of up to 20 years in prison, a fine of up to RM30,000 and disqualification from holding a driving licence, if convicted.
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On the second count, he was fined RM300 or a week’s jail and for driving without a licence.
AdvertisementOn the third count, Mohd Shafiezan was fined another RM1,000 or spend two weeks in prison for driving a vehicle without insurance coverage and disqualified from obtaining or holding a driving licence for 12 months.
Mohd Shafiezan was accused of committing the offences at the Tawau Traffic Investigation and Enforcement Division (BSPT) office at 8.52am on January 16, this year.
AdvertisementAccording to the case facts, Mohd Shafiezan, who was driving a Proton Saga, crashed into RHB Bank SST Room at Jalan Merdeka 3 after hitting five parked public vehicles in the area, namely a Perodua Alza, a Perodua Myvi, a Proton Iswara, a Toyota Vios and another Proton Saga.
During mitigation, Mohd Shafiezan, who was not represented, pleaded for a lighter sentence as he is a single father supporting two children and eight siblings.
He also claimed to be traumatised and scared as it was his first time being brought to court after he failed to attend a case mention on Wednesday, which led to a warrant for his arrest being issued.
Traffic Prosecuting Officer ASP Joan Lee requested the court to impose a heavy sentence to serve as a lesson to the accused and the public to avoid committing the same offence, especially as the case involved public interest and went viral on social media.
In this case, she said Mohd Shafiezan had no driving licence and asked a friend to rent a car for his use before the accident occurred at 4.15am on Dec 29, 2024 while on his way home to Tanjung Batu after partying at an entertainment centre.
