FORMER TV host Benedict Goh has pleaded guilty to driving under the influence of alcohol.

In court on Friday, he was given a custodial sentence of 3 weeks' jail, disqualification from driving all classes of vehicles for 4 years and fined $800.

His bail, which was increased from $10,000 to $15,000 was paid and his passport has been impounded.

Judge Terence Chua when delivering judgement said that drink driving is a serious offence, and the number of such incidents has been rising steadily. He noted that drink-drinking cases constitute a third of cases mentioned in court.

Concluding that this is not acceptable, he said that the court must approach sentencing holistically.

A relevant consideration he made in sentencing is Goh's previous records of drink-driving. Although the offence calls for a mandatory jail-term and fine, Judge Chua he did take into consideration that it is Goh's first offence under section 67.

Other mitigation factors are that there was no injuries, Goh gave his full cooperation and did not flee the scene. It was also clearly an accident in which Goh was taken by surprise.

However, the fact that Goh was not able to avoid the stationary vehicle even though he was driving a safe distance away meant he was impaired by the alcohol.