Black Caps cricketer gets community work after drink driving

Black Caps cricketer Doug Bracewell has been sentenced to 100 hours' community work and disqualified from driving for 12 months after admitting to driving at more than three times the legal limit.

The 26-year-old was pulled over on East Rd in Haumoana in March and recorded a breath-alcohol reading of 783mcg. The legal limit is 250mcg.

Today he appeared before Judge Bridge Mackintosh in the Hastings District Court to to be sentenced under provisions for offenders who already have two or more drink-driving convictions.

The court heard Bracewell had had a few drinks at a function when his distressed partner phoned and told him their pet cockatoo had been killed by dogs they were looking after for a friend. She was very upset and Bracewell decided to drive home.

Bracewell's defence counsel Ron Mansfield said the offending had not arisen out of disregard for road rules but out of "genuine concern" for his partner.

In 2010 Bracewell was convicted in the Masterton District Court for driving with excess breath alcohol when he was 20 years old. He was sentenced to six months' supervision and disqualified from driving for eight months.

He was first convicted of drink-driving in in the Napier District Court in 2008, at 18 years old, for a breath-alcohol reading of 877; more than double the legal limit of 400mcg that applied at the time.

He was fined $500 and disqualified from driving for six months.

Mansfield said Bracewell aknowledged how serious the offending was and realised he had let himself, his family and New Zealand Cricket down.

"This offending in my submissions should be seen as an unfortunate hiccup and something that doesn't reflect the man he has become or the sportsman."

In an appearance last month one charge of careless driving was withdrawn and interim name suppression, granted after Bracewell's first appearance, was also lifted.

Bracewell said he had made an "extremely bad call" to drive home from a function after a "personal and urgent issue arose at home".

"I should have made a better call as to how to get home, and didn't. I was just worried and drove. I accept that mistake."

The cricketer added that he accepted he must be held accountable and hoped others would think twice in similar circumstances.

During sentencing, Judge Mackintosh noted Bracewell was a man of "considerable talent" and accepted his previous drink-driving convictions were "somewhat historic".

However she rejected Mr Mansfield's proposed sentence of a fine, noting Bracewell's breath-alcohol reading was "relatively high", and said community work would be appropriate.

The maximum penalty Bracewell could have incurred is two years in jail, 12 months' disqualification or a $6000 fine.