Jail and driving ban for doctor who evaded road block after partying and lied to police when caught
Shaffiq Alkhatib
The Straits Times
April 17, 2025
A doctor with a history of committing traffic offences including speeding was sentenced to 19 days' jail on April 17, after he evaded a police road block while driving a friend's car following a night of partying.
Oh Shen Leong, 36, who claimed to be a private tutor when the police found him, was also disqualified from holding or obtaining all classes of driving licences for a period of 18 months from his release date.
On Feb 28, the 36-year-old Singaporean pleaded guilty to one count each of failing to stop at the road block and driving without reasonable consideration for other road users.
One charge over providing false information to the authorities was considered during his sentencing.
In earlier proceedings, Deputy Public Prosecutor Ariel Tan told the court that Oh had met up with two friends - a woman and a man - for dinner on Sept 8, 2023.
The trio later decided to head to Clarke Quay to party.
While there, Oh consumed alcoholic drinks and at around 3am the next day, they decided to leave and go to the woman's home.
The woman, who drove her car to Clarke Quay, handed over the keys to Oh, as she felt he was in a better state to drive after partying.
Oh then drove the car towards her home with his two friends as passengers. He later spotted a police road block after exiting the ECP on Tanjong Katong Road South.
The court heard that Oh knew he had consumed alcohol and did not want to risk a positive result on a breathalyser test.
DPP Tan told the court in February: "Spurred on by the desire to escape any potential liability that he may open himself up to, he decided to evade the police roadblock by reversing his car back into the ECP and taking a different route back to (the woman's) home."
Police officers traced the car by its licence plate to the woman's home at around 4am.
When asked, Oh provided a set of false particulars to a police officer and claimed to be a private tutor.
He also said that a valet had taken the three of them to the woman's residence and that they had not consumed alcohol earlier.
Oh then claimed to be dizzy and requested to be taken to a hospital. However, he refused to be taken to one when the ambulance arrived.
He provided his real particulars when a screening of the identity card number he had provided was found to be invalid.
Oh finally admitted to driving the car when the trio were arrested and handcuffed at around 6am.
His bail was set at $15,000 on April 17, and he is expected to begin serving his sentence on May 8.
