Indian-Origin Man Jailed For Breaching Singapore's Covid Safety Measures, Drink-Driving

An Indian-origin man was sentenced to more than 21 months in jail and fined SGD 5,000 for breaching the stringent COVID-19 measures by drinking alcohol with his friends and driving a truck, dragging one of the friends along the road.

K Pradeep Ram, 41, had also charged towards a police officer while uttering threatening and abusive words at another officer, reported The Straits Times.

The incident took place in 2020.

With his blood alcohol level more than double the prescribed limit allowed to drive a vehicle, Ram was also disqualified from driving for 10 years.

He pleaded guilty to four charges, including one count of dangerous driving causing grievous injury and another of using abusive words towards a police officer.

Deputy Public Prosecutor Timotheus Koh said on May 24, 2020, at around 9 pm, Ram and his friend Pravin met at another friend's house for dinner and drinks.

Koh said the trio met up for a social purpose when they were not permitted to do so under measures put in place to curb the spread of COVID-19 at the time.

At around 4.45 am, Ram and Pravin left the house. Ram offered to take Pravin home using his company truck, which was parked at a car park in the Choa Chu Kang housing estate.

At the car park, Ram and Pravin started tussling with each other while intoxicated. They pushed, wrestled, and used road traffic cones to hit each other. Almost an hour later, Pravin lay down on a road hump at the car park. Ram then started driving his truck in a dangerous manner, the newspaper reported.

"He first collided into a construction barrier on the side of the road and kept going, and his truck swayed from one side of the road to the other," said DPP Koh.

Ram then drove to the hump that Pravin was lying on and, without slowing down or stopping, drove over it.

Pravin's clothes got caught in the undercarriage of the truck, and he was dragged along the road. The truck made a round of the parking lot and came to a stop at the exit gantry.

Responding to calls for assistance, police officers arrived and called an ambulance for Pravin.

He was later found to have suffered multiple injuries, including an ear laceration and large abrasions on his thighs, arms, and chest. He also required skin grafts as a result of his injuries.

A breathalyser test was conducted on Ram, who was found to have 79 micrograms of alcohol in 100 ml of breath, more than double the prescribed limit of 35 micrograms per 100 ml of breath, according to the media report.

When one of the police officers noticed Ram toppling over while sitting on a kerb, he was asked to lean against a structure at the gantry to avoid falling.

But Ram suddenly stood up and charged towards the officer. He was then restrained and handcuffed to a railing.

Ram then used threatening and abusive words towards another police officer, uttering a slew of vulgarities in Hokkien (a common Chinese dialect).

Seeking a jail term of 21 months and one week to 24 months and two weeks, DPP Koh said the lorry was driven directly over the victim, adding that it was fortuitous that he was not more seriously injured.

He noted that Ram was voluntarily intoxicated at the time of committing the offences.

"The offender behaved in a belligerent manner when police engaged him in the aftermath of the incident, evincing a lack of remorse," the Singapore daily quoted DPP Koh as saying.

Ram was sentenced to 21 months and two weeks in jail.