BALIK PULAU: A French national was fined RM10,000 and sentenced to six days in jail by the Magistrate’s Court today after pleading guilty to driving under the influence of alcohol last week.
Anthony Gilbert Georges Cazals, 29, entered his plea before Magistrate Chia Huey Ting, who also imposed a four-month prison term if he failed to settle the fine.
According to the charge, Cazals was found driving a Honda car with a breath alcohol level of 257 milligrams (mg) per 100 milliliters (ml) of blood, significantly exceeding the permissible level of 50 mg/100 ml.
He was charged under Section 45A(1) of the Road Transport Act 1987, which provides for a prison sentence of up to two years and a fine of up to RM30,000, along with a two-year disqualification from holding or obtaining a driver’s license from the date of the case mention.
Deputy public prosecutor R. Lushani requested a deterrent sentence, while defence counsel S. Vikneshwaran appealed for a minimum fine, noting that Cazals earns RM2,500 as a waiter at a restaurant in Bayan Baru and financially supports his parents.
Vikneshwaran also requested that the accused be spared from a prison sentence, explaining that he has been in detention since his arrest on November 3 and plans to return to his home country.
The court then imposed an RM10,000 fine and six days’ imprisonment starting from the date of arrest and suspended Cazals’s international driving license for two years.
In a separate case in the same courtroom, the accused was fined RM80 in default three days in prison, after pleading guilty to disturbing the peace by using offensive and insulting language toward a police corporal.
He was charged under the Minor Offences Act 1955, which allows for a fine of up to RM100.
Both offenses are said to have occurred at Persiaran Bayan Indah at 2.30 am on Nov 3.
