|
To another
question by Wan Fatimah Zaharah, Norwati said Islam was her religion and she
knew drinking alcohol was forbidden in Islam.
Singer Watie fined for drink driving
By Rosnazura Idrus KUALA LUMPUR, Tues. - A Cinderella-like drama unfolded outside the magistrate's court today as singer Norwati Sadali, 23, rushed in haste to escape waiting photographers ... and left a slipper behind. She jumped into a taxi caught in a long queue at the Jalan Tun Perak traffic lights near the Jalan Raja magistrate's courts, although there was a passenger inside, and in the process her slipper came off. Earlier, Norwati, a member of the all-girl band, Elite, was fined RM1,800 or 36 days' jail for drink driving about 3.40am last Sunday at Jalan P. Ramlee. She was found to have 106mg of alchohol in 100mg of blood, 26mg in excess of the permitted level. Norwati, who is popularly known as Watie, was with KRU Records promotions manager Norashikin Ismail when she boarded the taxi. Norwati, who pleaded guilty to driving a Proton Putra under the influence of alchohol, played hide and seek with photographers who were waiting outside the courtroom. Norwati and Norashikin did not come out of the courtroom using the normal entrance after settling her fine. She was charged about noon but she remained in the courtroom for quite some time. But when reporters checked the courtroom she was missing. She had used an entrance meant only for the court staff, and gone into a toilet. Photographers ran to wait in front of the toilet adjacent to the office of the magistrate's court because they expected her to use the toilet door. Norashikin was seen peeping out of the toilet door but she quickly closed it after seeing the photographers. A few women reporters then went into the toilet to check and found Norwati hiding near a cabinet. After about half an hour, some cleaners reported they had seen Norwati and Norashikin going up to the second floor using a staircase in the file room. The photographers ran out of the court building into Jalan Tun Perak and they saw Norwati and Norashikin get into the taxi. Norwati, who was dressed in a blue kebaya, wore a black tudung and a pair of spectacles. In mitigation before the magistrate Wan Fatimah Zaharah Wan Yusoff, Norwati said she was sorry about what had happened and promised that she would not repeat the offence. She also asked for a minimum fine as, being an entertainer, she said her income was not stable. Asked by the magistrate where she was going at the time she was arrested, Norwati said she was going back from a friend's show. To another question by Wan Fatimah Zaharah, Norwati said Islam was her religion and she knew drinking alcohol was forbidden in Islam. Norwati also pleaded guilty to a second charge of not having a driving licence at the same place, time and date. Wan Fatimah fixed Oct 26 for mention and asked her to produce a copy of her licence as Norwati said she had lost it. Inspector Nadzir Othman prosecuted. |
