Brunei's Local News - Brudirect.com

Bandar Seri Begawan - A 20-year-old local was imprisoned for nine months, fined and banned from driving for life for reckless driving causing death, drunk driving and driving without a valid driving license.

In the court yesterday, Deputy Public Prosecutor. Pg Jasmine Pg Hj Bahrin submitted a first charge against the defendant which stated that. "That you, on the 17th day of August 2007 at around 2145 hours in the vicinity of Jalan Junjongan at the Bridge of Sungai Urut in Brunei Darussalam, being the driver of a Toyota Vios motor vehicle bearing registration number KTI 1981, did drive the said motor vehicle in a manlier which was reckless to the public, having regard to all the circumstances of the case, including the nature, condition and use of the road and the amount of traffic which was or which might reasonably be expected to be on the road, did cause the death of two persons and you have thereby committed an offence punishable under section 28 (1) of the Road Traffic Act punishable under section 27 0) of

the same."

On the second count, the defendant was driving while under the influence of alcohol to such an extent as to be incapable of having proper control of such motor vehicle. This offence brought a sentence of four months' jail and disqualification for three months. The courts ordered for both sentences to run concurrently in which the first sentence prevails.

The defendant was also charged with driving his vehicle when he is not a holder of a valid driving license (in which he held an expired driving license) which got him a fine of 5800 or serve jail for another two months.

"The need to punish the defendant for wasteful loss of life must be tempered by his mitigation. For a case as serious as this, imprisonment is usually imposed. However, prison would put his education in jeopardy.

However, given the seriousness of the offence, imprisonment is justified for the first and second sentence," said the Acting Chief Magistrate in passing his judgment yesterday. -- Courtesy of Borneo Bulletin