joke of the day #210106

ST Jan 20, 2006
Judge: Be more lenient to foreigners? That's illogical
By Chong Chee Kin

Foreigners should not expect to be treated any differently by Singapore courts, a judge warned as he jailed a Scottish engineer for cocaine possession yesterday.

Jason Taylor, 33, was sentenced to 11 months' jail after he was caught with a packet of cocaine by narcotics officers in a sting operation last month at an Oxley Gardens apartment.

The issue that prompted the judge's remarks arose when Taylor's lawyer, Mr Darshan Singh, urged the court to be lenient to the Scotsman as he would be returning home after his conviction and would not pose a public risk here.

District Judge Victor Yeo said he was "somewhat disturbed" by the argument, adding that "such a contention is highly untenable and illogical" and "plainly runs counter to the maxim that all individuals stand equal before the law".

It must be made "abundantly clear" that the courts apply the laws of the country equally to everyone here, said the judge. "To do otherwise would result in a serious miscarriage of justice and severely erode the legitimacy of our laws."

In sentencing Taylor, the judge also made it clear that those convicted of consumption or possession of drugs, such as heroin, cocaine and ketamine, would be jailed.

He said it "would not be correct" to punish a first-time offender, like Taylor, with a sentence similar to one meted out to an addict or a casual user. But "a mere fine would be wholly inappropriate even for first-time offenders".

Exceptions could still be made if a case warranted it, the judge said, but there were "hardly any exceptional circumstances" in Taylor's case.

Taylor's lawyer had urged the court to be lenient, arguing that his client's family had been embarrassed by the adverse publicity.

But the judge said: "To do so would lead to an incongruous conclusion that an offender, whose case is widely reported in the media, ought to received a more lenient sentence than one whose case is not covered by the media at all."

He also dismissed the lawyer's mitigation plea that Taylor turned to drugs because of stress. He said: "The implications would be unthinkable if the courts were to treat offenders who turn to illicit drugs to cope with the stresses of life more leniently...it may be construed as a licence to resort to illicit drugs whenever one experiences stress."

Taylor could have been jailed for up to 10 years and fined up to $20,000.

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