A Changhua County district judge has handed an eight-month prison term to a five-time drunk driving offender, adding to the debate over a petition to introduce public caning as punishment for drunk driving.
The district court yesterday convicted a 48-year-old man surnamed Chang (張) for driving under the influence of alcohol (DUI) and disturbing public order.
Changhua police had on Sept. 3 at about 7am stopped Chang for a roadside Breathalyzer test and detained him after finding his blood alcohol level to be 0.48 milligrams per liter (mg/L), well over the legal limit of 0.15mg/L.
After questioning, Chang said he drank while eating with friends the previous night.
The judge ordered Chang’s motorcycle license to be revoked due to past DUI convictions.
“This is his fifth DUI conviction in eight years. We believe it would not be proper to only levy fines for this conviction and think he should serve an eight-month prison term,” the judge’s statement said.
“He is a repeat DUI offender and has received punishment before, but his past sentences were commuted to fines or community service and did not deter him,” it said.
This decision came in the aftermath of a high-profile drunk driving accident last week, in which a 32-year-old bakery chef surnamed Chen (陳) was killed in Taichung.
After questioning, prosecutors detained a 34-year-old woman surnamed Yen (顏), who was later found to have been convicted of DUI in May in which her license was revoked.
Prosecutors indicted Yen on offense of DUI causing death and violating public order after she and her two passengers were ordered for urinalysis testing on suspicion of using ketamine and other narcotics.
According to police records, Yen ran a red light at an intersection and rammed into Chen’s motorcycle, launching him into the air.
Paramedics could not revive him at the scene and he was later pronounced dead at a local hospital.
The chef’s death and other drunk-driving cases prompted support for a petition to implement public flogging for repeat offenders, with advocates decrying the impotence of the law on DUI violators.
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