Meng Xianglei, 39, was sentenced to three weeks’ jail and fined S$7,000 on 5 Aug 2025. He pleaded guilty to driving under the influence and driving without due care.
The court also disqualified him from all classes of driving licences for three years.
Night of Heavy Drinking Leads to Cross-Island Drive
Meng met his friends at around 10pm on 5 Apr 2024 at a restaurant in Jurong Trade Hub. He consumed around five glasses of beer during this first stop.
The group then decided to proceed to another pub in Geylang. Meng drove more than 20km from Jurong to the Geylang establishment.
At the second location, he consumed another five glasses of beer. This brought his total alcohol consumption to 10 glasses of beer across both venues.
At around 2:30am on 6 Apr, Meng decided to drive himself home to Ang Mo Kio.
Somerset Road Collision With Stationary Police Vehicle
As Meng was driving along Somerset Road towards Grange Road, he failed to spot a stationary police car. The police vehicle had its hazard lights on at the time.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Timothy Ong told the court that officers in the vehicle were attending to a separate urgent matter when the collision occurred.
Meng lost control of his Mercedes and collided into the police car. The impact damaged the left rear side of the police vehicle.
The breathalyser test administered after his arrest recorded 86 micrograms of alcohol per 100 millilitres of breath. This reading was more than double the prescribed limit of 35 micrograms of alcohol per 100 millilitres of breath.
DPP Ong emphasised that Meng had “deliberately consumed alcohol in two different places and drove home”. He described it as “not a one-time decision” but “a series of decisions made over a period of time”.
The damage to the police car cost more than S$2,300 to repair. Meng has since made full restitution for the amount.
Under Singapore law, driving while under the influence of alcohol carries a fine ranging from S$2,000 to S$10,000 and a jail term of up to 12 months, or both. Repeat offenders may face fines of up to S$20,000 and jail terms of up to two years.
Those who drive without due care or attention can be fined up to S$1,500 and jailed for up to six months, or both.
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