Mediacorp terminated actor Shane Pow's contract on April 26, 2021, after learning he had been charged with drink driving for the second time and had kept the broadcaster in the dark. Pow was later sentenced to five weeks' jail, a S$6,000 fine and a five-year driving ban.
Pow was charged in court on April 22, 2021, with driving a motor van while his breath alcohol level exceeded the legal limit. The offence had taken place in September 2020. More damagingly, it was his second drink-driving offence: he had previously been convicted of the same offence in July 2014.
In a statement, Mediacorp said it had not been aware of the September 2020 charge and that Pow's failure to disclose it, coupled with a separate breach of COVID-19 safe management measures in October 2020, had led to the decision. The October incident involved an oversized gathering at fellow actor Terence Cao's home that drew fines for several celebrities. Mediacorp stressed that it did not condone behaviour that ran afoul of the law and constantly reminded its artistes that fans looked to them as role models.
Pow was required to complete outstanding contractual commitments until May 4, 2021, including two drama series already in production which aired as planned. On May 5, he broke his silence with an Instagram apology to his family, friends and fans, thanking Mediacorp and his managers and vowing to face the consequences. Fellow artistes including Jeremy Chan, Xiang Yun and Chantalle Ng publicly expressed support.
On July 14, 2021, Pow was sentenced to five weeks' jail, fined S$6,000 and disqualified from driving for five years. His lawyer told the court he sincerely regretted his actions. Pow ended up serving 25 days, 21 of them in solitary-cell segregation due to COVID-19 protocols for new inmates. He later described the experience as the lowest point of his life, saying he spent his days reflecting on how he had single-handedly derailed a bright future, and read 16 books to pass the time.
After his release, Pow rebuilt his career under the management agency of veteran actor Li Nanxing. He returned to acting in Channel 8 productions and spoke candidly in interviews about his jail time. By 2023 he had earned top billing in a new Channel 8 drama, and reports described him as being on good terms with Mediacorp again.
The episode became a cautionary tale in Singapore's entertainment industry about disclosure obligations for artistes and the career cost of repeat offences, and it briefly cost Pow endorsement engagements with brands that had featured him on social media.