Driver who drank gin after car accident to mask breath alcohol level fined $8k

On April 14, 2024, Samuel Gomes-Lim Jia’En, 36, and Claire Sng Wei Ying, 28, enjoyed lunch and two cans of alcoholic soda by Sentosa beach. They spent about three hours together before Gomes-Lim drove Sng home in his car around 5pm. Upon turning into his condominium complex in Dairy Farm, he crashed into a pillar. The pair left the damaged vehicle, took a lift to an unspecified floor, and returned to the accident site a short time later.

Upon being caught, Gomes-Lim was told to provide a breath sample for a breathalyser test. He initially refused, claiming he had consumed alcohol after the accident, but eventually provided the sample around 10.15pm. His breath contained 73 micrograms of alcohol per 100ml, more than double the prescribed limit of 35mcg. Gomes-Lim pleaded guilty to one charge of obstructing the course of justice and was fined $8,000, along with a three-year driving ban.

Sng, who gave him the gin, was fined $10,000. New traffic laws, passed in August 2025, have reduced the alcohol limits for drivers, from 35mcg in 100ml of breath to 15mcg, and the blood alcohol limit from 80mg to 30mg per 100ml.