TAWAU: A 35-year-old executive was sentenced to 17 years’ imprisonment and fined RM39,000 after being found guilty of causing the death of four men in Jalan Chong Thien Vun and injuring another while driving under the influence of alcohol in July last year.
Sessions judge Awang Kerisnada Awang Mahmud meted out the sentence on Olivia Chong after finding that the defence had failed to raise reasonable doubt during the trial.
After the sentence was passed, the accused shed tears in the dock, as did her family members who were in the gallery.
A total of 17 prosecution witnesses and two defence witnesses were called to testify during the trial.
Olivia was charged on July 12, last year.
She had faced two charges under Section 44(1)(b) of the Road Transport Act 1987 for causing death or injury while driving under the influence of alcohol.
The four whose deaths she was found to have caused were Hiew Nyuk Wei, 30; Clawence Wong Vun Kit, 21; Dicson Lim Kien Shing, 16; and Chong Wei Chan, 21, while another victim, Chin Guan Xiong, 21, suffered a broken leg.
She was charged with committing the offences while driving a Toyota Vios outside the BDC (1 Arena) Commercial Centre in Jalan Chong Thien Vun, at 1.20am on July 8 last year.
For the first charge, Olivia was sentenced to 10 years’ jail and fined RM20,000, in default six months’ jail. For the second, she was ordered to spend seven years in prison and fined RM19,000, or six months’ jail in default.
The court ordered the sentences to run consecutively and for her driving licence to be suspended for 10 years.
In passing sentence, Awang said the court, after taking everything into account, had to give priority to public interest.
“The accused was terribly irresponsible in consuming alcohol past the legal limit. The accident occurred at 1.20am, at a time when there are not many vehicles on the road, and it involved five victims, four of whom lost their lives while the other sustained serious injuries.
“In meting out a sentence, the court has to take into account public interest as well as that of the families of the victims who lost their sons and husbands because of this accident.”
The court also rejected defence counsel Abdul Ghani Zelika’s application for a stay of execution pending appeal.
Deputy public prosecutor Wan Muhammad Fitri Wan Azizan appeared for the prosecution.