SONG CHAO v PUBLIC PROSECUTOR
Catchwords
Practice Areas
Judges (1)
Counsel (5)
Parties (2)
Case Significance
Song Chao v Public Prosecutor [2026] SGHC 85 is a High Court General Division judgment delivered by Christopher Tan J on 16 April 2026 on appeal from the Magistrate's Court. The appellant, Song Chao, consumed four to five glasses of beer before driving, collided with a stationary vehicle, and pleaded guilty to a drink-driving charge under s 67(1)(b) of the Road Traffic Act 1961 and a careless driving charge under s 65(5)(a). Because the careless driving charge was concurrent with the drink-driving conviction, Song Chao was deemed a "serious offender" under s 64(8) RTA, attracting enhanced penalties. The judgment addresses sentencing appeals, benchmark sentences for drink driving, and the serious-offender provisions of the Road Traffic Act, with Ng Huiling Cheryl of Foxwood LLC appearing for the appellant and Goh Yong Ngee and Nivethaa Ravintharan from the Attorney-General's Chambers for the prosecution.
Summary
Song Chao pleaded guilty to drink driving under s 67(1)(b) of the Road Traffic Act (alcohol level of 78 µg/100ml) and careless driving as a serious offender under s 65(5)(a) RTA after colliding with a stationary vehicle, and was sentenced by the District Court to five weeks' imprisonment and 48 months' disqualification for each charge running concurrently. He appealed for reduced imprisonment terms of one week each and a 36-month disqualification. The High Court partially allowed the appeal, reducing the imprisonment term for the drink driving charge from five weeks to three weeks, while upholding the 48-month disqualification and the five-week global term (unchanged because both sentences ran concurrently).
What sentencing principles did the High Court apply in Song Chao v Public Prosecutor for drink driving and careless driving?
Christopher Tan J reviewed benchmark sentences for drink driving under s 67(1)(b) of the Road Traffic Act and the serious-offender enhancement under s 64(8) RTA, which applied because Song Chao faced concurrent drink-driving and careless driving charges after a collision with a stationary vehicle on 16 April 2026.
Statutes Cited
Cases Cited (12)
Judgment
Read the full judgment on the official Singapore Courts portal.
Read on eLitigationSource: eLitigation ([2026] SGHC 85)