Jail time for Northland drink-driver who crashed into family's home

A fifth-time drink-driver has been jailed for nine months after crashing into a Whangārei family's home. Photo / 123RF

A Whangārei family were fortunately elsewhere on their property when a fifth-time drink-driver crashed his vehicle through a fence and into part of their house.

Jason McKeeman, 29, had a breath-alcohol level of 727mcgs when he was tested by police shortly after abandoning his vehicle and fleeing the scene.

He said he drove because he ran out of alcohol and needed to get more.

Judge John McDonald jailed McKeeman for nine months. He pleaded guilty to drink-driving and driving while disqualified - each a third or subsequent offence (his fifth and fourth respectively) and dangerous driving.

The crash happened on Kamo's Eden Terrace, about 6.30pm on January 5, this year.

Judge McDonald noted the house McKeeman's vehicle ploughed into was occupied by a family with young children.

It was lucky the children were not playing on the lawn or in the part of the house when the vehicle struck it.

Counsel Stephen Ross said McKeeman accepted the sentence was likely to be home detention at best - imprisonment at worst.

Ross urged the court not to jail McKeeman or even impose home detention but instead to follow the recommendation of a presentence report and impose community detention with a 7pm to 7am curfew and supervision.

But it did not find favour with Judge McDonald who said, "so your submission to me is we should just allow all these drunk drivers to drive around on our roads and if they kill and injure someone, too bad?"

Ross argued that simply sending McKeeman to jail would only be a temporary deterrent. It was doubtful whether he would come out any wiser and with any particular ability to avoid his current difficulties, which were complex and included mental health issues as outlined by the report.

Imposing a sentence that enabled McKeeman to try to fix his problems but also had an element of deterrence was the least restrictive outcome and ultimately best for the community, Ross said.

He reminded the court home detention type sentences were not soft options.

"Any sentence where the door is open but you're not allowed out is far more difficult in some respects, than one with the door locked," Ross said.

Judge McDonald said deterrence and rehabilitation were not the only sentencing principles at stake. He also had to consider the need to protect the public.

McKeeman already had two-and-a-half years' oversight from probation in one form or another and none of it had helped, Judge McDonald said.

His past non-compliance was such it was unlikely he would attend community mental health even if referred there.

There came a time when community protection was paramount, Judge McDonald said.

"You don't seem to learn; we can't have people driving drunk causing mayhem, you've done it repeatedly," he told McKeeman.