A Pahiatua man still has no recollection of the accident that left him with shattered bones from the knees down.
Nicholas Watson, 23, was sentenced in the Palmerston North District Court this morning after being convicted of driving without a license and careless use of a motor vehicle.
At around 5.55pm on December 12, 2012 Watson, accompanied by two passengers, was driving on Castlepoint Beach in his brother's Honda Integra. He had no license but had finished work for the day on a nearby shearing station and decided to go for a swim.
After entering the busy lagoon, Watson accelerated to speeds of between 60 and 80km/h and began doing "snakeys". The car hit soft sand causing it to roll three or four times. Watson was not wearing his seatbelt and was thrown from the vehicle, while his two passengers who were wearing seatbelts, were unhurt.
The beach had an advisory speed limit of 25km/h. Judge Gregory Ross ordered Watson to pay $130 court costs in respect of each charge and disqualified him from driving for nine months.