SINGAPORE – Despite severe penalties and jail time, some drivers continue to gamble with their lives and that of others, said the High Court.

And in the case of Jeremiah Ng En You, 36,

who killed one and injured six in December 2021

, the heaviest punishment for him will be the lifelong burden of knowing that his irresponsible and selfish action of drink driving claimed an innocent life, it added.

On July 14, the High Court dismissed Ng’s appeal against his seven-year jail sentence for dangerous driving causing death.

The court noted that while he had shown remorse by making voluntary compensation of about $457,000, such efforts were outweighed by the harm caused by the accident.

Ng was sentenced in October 2023 after pleading guilty to one count of drink driving and another for causing the death of a Gojek driver by driving in a dangerous manner.

He will also be disqualified from driving for 12 years after his release.

The District Judge who sentenced him at the time had said he treated the roads “like the Grand Prix driving circuit”.

On the night of Dec 31, 2021, Ng had dinner with his brother and two friends at his office in Tampines Street 93 and drank four cans of beer.

When they left at about 11pm, Ng got behind the wheel of his brother’s car, while the brother sat in the front passenger seat.

He sped while driving along Tampines Avenue 1 at around 11.10pm, travelling at between 157kmh and 169kmh even though the speed limit there is 60kmh.

As he approached the junction of Tampines Avenue 1 and Tampines Avenue 10, he slowed down to between 122kmh and 130kmh, but lost control of the vehicle as he was abo...