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Famous musician Gao Xiaosong could face jail

By Yan Weijue (Xinhua/chinadaily.com.cn)
Updated: 2011-05-10 16:06

Renowned musician Gao Xiaosong has been arrested by police on suspicion of drunk driving after a four-vehicle collision on Monday night, Legal Evening News reported.

Gao Xiaosong (L), a famous musician at a police station in Beijing, May 10, 2011. [Photo/Xinhua]

The 42-year-old music producer and director, famous for his campus folk ballad My Deskmate in the 1990s and appearing as a judge on China's Got Talent, was driving through Beijing when his white SUV crashed into a car stopped at a red light at an intersection near the diplomatic area of Dongzhimen Street. The collision, just before 10.30 pm on Monday, caused a pile-up that involved two other cars, injuring four people.

A sobriety test showed Gao had 243 milligrams of alcohol per 100 milliliters of blood, triple China's legal alcohol limit.

Drivers who have more than 80 milligrams of alcohol per 100 milliliters of blood in their body are considered drunk. Gao could face a jail term of one to six months under China's newly-amended Road Traffic Safety Law which took effect May 1. He will become the first celebrity to face punishment under the tough new rules which sent nine drivers to jail on Monday when the law came into effect.