A woman who drove her car while more than three times over the legal limit for breath-alcohol has been disqualified indefinitely from driving.
Annette Edwards, 61, was pulled over by police on January 5 after a member of the public reported her "poor driving", Judge David Cameron said in the Whanganui District Court on Wednesday.
A breath test showed Edwards had 1299mcg of alcohol in her system. The convictable limit is 400mcg.
Edwards had one previous drink-driving conviction with a reading of 355mg of alcohol per litre of blood - nearly four-and-a-half times the legal limit of 80mg. For that offence Edwards was fined $900.
Defence lawyer Roger Crowley said his client was "not a woman, at age 61, that is flouting the law".
"It's clear that she's a person who's subject to an illness. It's clear her only proper response to this type of offence is abstinence."
Edwards had enrolled in programmes "on more than one occasion" to treat her alcoholism.
"Unfortunately she's fallen off the wagon from time to time."
She had been alcohol-free since the latest offending, Mr Crowley said.
Edwards, who has no other convictions other than for the earlier drink-driving offence, pleaded guilty to the excess breath-alcohol charge.
A pre-sentence report assessed her as being at a low risk of re-offending, Judge Cameron said. "However, that has to be seen in light of the clear alcohol dependency that she has," he said.
"I'm satisfied she's doing all she can to overcome these difficulties ... she is clearly otherwise a person of very good character."
Judge Cameron sentenced her to 80 hours of community work and disqualified her indefinitely.