Chef behind Michelin Bib Gourmand eatery gets jail and driving ban for drink driving
Chef Teppei Yamashita. (Photo: 8days.sg)
SINGAPORE: A chef behind a Michelin Bib Gourmand restaurant was given jail and a driving ban on Friday (Feb 18) for drink driving and careless driving which saw him uproot a light pole at a zebra crossing.
Teppei Yamashita, a 41-year-old Japanese national and Singapore permanent resident, was given four weeks' jail and banned from driving for four years. He pleaded guilty to a charge each of drink driving and careless driving.
Yamashita is the director of multiple Japanese eateries, and was behind unagi restaurant Man Man, which is on Singapore's Michelin Guide's Bib Gourmand list.
The court heard that Yamashita had drunk Suntory beer on the night of Aug 24, 2020 at a restaurant near Tanjong Pagar MRT Station with friends.
At about 11pm, he began driving from International Plaza to Tampines to ferry a friend home.
After dropping his friend off, he began driving from Tampines towards his home.
At about 12.15am, he lost control of his multi-purpose vehicle and veered left at the cross junction of Tampines Avenue 10 and Avenue 5.
He mounted the pedestrian island and collided with a light pole at the zebra crossing, uprooting it.
Another motorist who was two car lengths behind Yamashita saw the accident occur and alighted to help Yamashita.
He noted that he reeked of alcohol, an observation similarly made by a traffic police officer who arrived at the scene shortly after.
Yamashita failed his breathalyser test and was arrested for drink driving. He was given another breath test at about 2am at the traffic police premises.
The test found 102 microgrammes of alcohol per 100ml of his breath, exceeding the limit of 35 microgrammes per 100ml.
His vehicle was badly damaged as a result, while the uprooted light pole cost S$501.25 to repair. Yamashita made full restitution.
The prosecutor asked for five to six weeks' jail and four years' driving ban, saying Yamashita had been fined in 2018 for speeding and also in 2014 for beating a red light.
He said drink driving is a common problem, with such drivers contributing to serious accidents on roads.
The alcohol level was high, and Yamashita had driven a long distance of about 20km while intoxicated, he said.
His vehicle, an MPV, was a large one which increased the potential harm to other road users, and the accident was at a pedestrian crossing area.
Yamashita's lawyer, from law firm Rajah & Tann, said her client had recently completed chemotherapy for brain cancer.
She said the jail term sought by the prosecution was based on a case of dangerous driving and drink driving, whereas her client's featured careless driving and drink driving.
According to a previous article by 8days.sg, Yamashita started out in 2011 with an omakase restaurant in Tras Link and at one point had 15 eateries in Singapore serving dishes such as live eel and yakitori.
