SMRT Trains COO Alvin Kek jailed 2 weeks, fined $4,000 for drink driving
SMRT Trains chief operations officer Alvin Kek Yoke Boon has been suspended from work after being sentenced to two weeks’ jail and fined $4,000 for drink driving on Monday (25 June).
Kek, who was arrested at the Woodlands Checkpoint on 21 April, was also disqualified from driving all classes of vehicles for three years, after he pleaded guilty to one count of drink driving.
This was not the 51-year-old’s first drink-driving offence, having previously been fined $2,800 and disqualified from driving for two years following a similar conviction in 2004.
Responding to queries from Yahoo News Singapore, Margaret Teo, SMRT’s vice-president of corporate communications said, “SMRT has noted the court’s decision. Alvin has been suspended from work.”
“I deeply regret the incident and would like to assure everyone that I will not drink and drive again,” said Kek of his offence.
According to the statement of facts, at about 11pm on 20 April, Kek met his colleagues for drinks at Temasek Club on Rifle Range Road. By 2am, Kek had consumed four mugs of Tiger beer.
According to the prosecution, Kek’s father had recently passed away on 14 April and he had wanted to drink to de-stress.
Kek left the club at about 2.30am and drove towards the direction of Woodlands. At about 2.55am, Kek stopped his car at the Woodlands Checkpoint – some 15km from the club – and informed an Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) officer that he had entered the checkpoint by mistake and had no intention of leaving Singapore.
Kek said that he wanted to make a turn back to Singapore. As Kek reeked of alcohol, the ICA officer asked him to alight from his vehicle. He was escorted to an office at a checkpoint where officers conducted a preliminary breath test on him.
Kek failed the test and was escorted to the Jurong Police Division geadquarters, where a second breath test was conducted on him. This test showed that Kek had 65 microgrammes of alcohol in 100 millilitres of breath, which was above the prescribed 35 microgramme limit.
The prosecution sought a sentence of at least two weeks’ imprisonment, a fine of $4,000, and a driving disqualification period of three years.
Kek’s lawyers, Sunil Sudheesan and Diana Ngiam sought a sentence of around one week’s imprisonment, a fine of up to $10,000, and a disqualification period of more than three years.
“A motorcar in the hands of a drunk driver is a potentially devastating weapon writ large – and needlessly so. Selfish disregard for the lives and safety of pedestrians and other law-abiding road users deserves disapprobation,” said District Judge Shawn Ho in sentencing Kek.
According to past media reports, Kek joined SMRT in 2013 and his appointment as COO for rail was announced by SMRT on 1 February.
For a second conviction of drink driving, a breach under the Road Traffic Act, Kek could have been jailed up to 12 months, fined between $3,000 and $10,000 and disqualified from driving for a minimum of 12 months.
Related story:
SMRT Trains COO Alvin Kek arrested for drink driving: report
