Driver's breath-alcohol level 'horrifying'

The driver recorded a breath-alcohol level of 1629mcg. Photo / Duncan Brown

A driver's breath-alcohol level of 1629mcg was a "record" level before him, Judge Dominic Flatley told the defendant yesterday.

It was probably close to a national record as well "and that's nothing to be proud of," Judge Flatley told Jan Hermanus Campher (39), of Cromwell, who appeared in the Alexandra District Court.

Campher had his 14-year-old son in the car with him when stopped by police at Cromwell on September 5, which was "horrifying", the judge said.

Given the amount of alcohol in Campher's system, it was surprising he could even operate a vehicle and he was setting a terrible example for his son.

If the defendant continued to rely on "self-medicating" with alcohol to deal with the pressures in his life, he would end up killing himself, or someone close to him, Judge Flatley warned.

Counsel Kieran Tohill said the defendant accepted he had an alcohol problem and was taking steps to address it.

Campher's life "somehow unravelled" several years ago and he was jailed in 2010 on charges of arson, serving "1000 days inside", Mr Tohill said. The defendant was now trying to get his life back in order.

Judge Flatley sentenced Campher to 250 hours' community work and 15 months' intensive supervision and disqualified him from driving for 12 months.

A Justice Ministry spokesman said the reading was at the higher end of the scale, but not near the worst readings recorded.

The highest readings were being collated by ministry staff at present, but a man caught driving with a breath-alcohol level of more than 2000mcg in Whakatane last month was believed to be among the highest readings recorded.

Several readings in the 1900-2000mcg range had been recorded, the spokesman said.