KLANG, May 18 — A part-time event planning assistant pleaded not guilty at the Magistrate's Court today to a charge of driving under the influence of alcohol, causing serious injury to a p-hailing delivery rider last week.
Low Kean Peng, 35, is accused of driving a vehicle with a blood alcohol level of 196mg per 100ml of sample.
That amount exceeds the legal limit of 146mg of alcohol per 100ml of sample. The alleged offence resulted in serious injury to Zulfiqar Zamir Amirul Nizam, 27, at Persiaran Kota at 12.35am on Wednesday (May 13).
The charge was brought under Section 44(1A) of the Road Transport Act 1987, which provides for a prison sentence of between seven and ten years and a fine not exceeding RM50,000 upon conviction.
The accused is also liable to be disqualified from holding or obtaining a driving licence for a period of no less than seven years from the date of conviction.
Earlier, Deputy Public Prosecutor Nur Nadia Syuhada Rosli proposed bail of RM15,000 with an additional condition that Low surrender his driving licence to the court until the case is concluded, taking into account the seriousness of the offence.
However, his lawyer Ethan W.H. Tan requested minimum bail on the grounds that his client is the primary caregiver for his elderly parents, who suffer from diabetes and cancer.
Magistrate A. Karthiyayini granted bail of RM10,000 with one surety. She also ordered that the accused's driving licence be suspended and that he report to the nearest police station twice a month.
The court set July 30 for the next case mention.
Also present at today's proceedings were the victim's family members, including his mother, Hamidah Othman, 54, and fiancée Nurul Syafiqah Ridzuan, 25.
