SINGAPORE - A doctor who drank alcohol at a gathering in Sentosa arranged for someone else to drive his car home, but went against the traffic in the carpark while driving to a pick-up point.

His car hit a chain blocking the carpark entrance, and he was arrested after failing a breathalyser test.

Marcus Tan Wei Ping, 31, was later found to have 62 micrograms (mcg) of alcohol in 100ml of breath, above the prescribed legal limit of 35mcg.

He was jailed for 10 days and fined $5,000 on Tuesday after he pleaded guilty to one count of drink driving and one charge of driving without due care and attention. He was also disqualified from holding or obtaining all classes of driving licences for three years.

On April 29, at around 2pm, Tan parked his black Audi at Sentosa Cove Village shopping mall’s carpark. He then attended a gathering with friends, which included a boat trip from Sentosa to Lazarus Island and back.

While on the boat trip, he had two to three glasses of wine. He knew he should not drive upon his return and arranged for a friend to meet him at the nearby One Degree 15 Marina Club pick-up point to take over his car.

To do that, he first had to drive his car out of the carpark. But he drove against traffic for about 65m towards the entrance instead of the exit, despite several signs indicating he was going the wrong way.

His car then hit the chain. While reversing, it pulled the chain – which was entangled on the car’s side-view mirrors – and caused a CCTV pole affixed to the chain to fall.

Mall staff came to the scene and made a police report, adding that Tan smelt of alcohol.

Tan has since paid $252 to the mall as restitution.

Deputy Public Prosecutor Shaun Lim asked for a jail term of between one and three weeks, on top of a fine and disqualification from driving.

DPP Lim noted that even though Tan has no criminal record, he had three previous compounded traffic offences, including beating a red light, speeding and inconsiderate driving.

“This shows something of a lackadaisical attitude towards strict compliance with traffic rules. An uplift is justified to specifically deter the accused,” said DPP Lim in his written submissions.

Tan’s lawyer, Mr Terence Tan of Drew and Napier, asked for a $15,000 fine with no jail term. He said his client intended to drive the car to someone else, unlike other cases where drunken drivers would choose to drive home.

The lawyer said his client simply did not realise he could not exit the carpark the same way he turned in. Once the accident happened, he stopped his car and fully cooperated with the mall staff.

This is the second case in a week involving doctors who drove after drinking.

On Oct 20, Nah Kwang Meng, who practises at Dr Nah & Lee Family Clinic in Woodlands, was fined $4,000 in a case heard by a district court. He had consumed beer before driving and tried to change seats with his passenger when he spotted a police roadblock, in an attempt to evade arrest.

Though his alcohol level was eventually found to be below the legal limit, he was still fined for attempting to pervert the course of justice.