Five-time drink-driver avoids jail

Matthew James Rawiri, 40, was sentenced to four months' home detention for his fifth conviction for drink-driving.

Probation recommended Matthew James Rawiri be sentenced to imprisonment on his fifth drink-driving conviction but his lawyer successfully argued for home detention even though the judge had reservations such a sentence would keep him off the roads.

Lawyer Frank Minehan said during sentencing in Masterton District Court recently Rawiri, 40, has an alcohol and drug addiction.

Rawiri had previously pleaded guilty to drink-driving and dangerous driving.

On May 31 at about 4.30pm he crashed his Toyota van into a car parked on State Highway 2 near Hickson St, Featherston. Both vehicles were written off.

At the time police were hunting for Rawiri's van after receiving calls from motorists as he was dangerously overtaking vehicles near Greytown, prior to the crash.

It was a long weekend and traffic was heavy at the time, Judge Jan Kelly said.

"You drove across double yellow lines on a corner, into the path of oncoming traffic."

Rawiri was taken to Wairarapa Hospital where blood was taken and subsequently returned a result of 240mg of alcohol per 100 millilitres of blood. The legal limit is 80mg.

"At the time of your offending you had not slept the night before. You were feeling depressed about not seeing your children ... you drank as a means of dealing with these issues," Judge Kelly said.

Mr Minehan said Rawiri was being supported by a church and said home detention would allow his client to deal with his addictions and keep him off the road.

"He wouldn't be able to legally drive on the road for a good period of time.

"He has strong church support."

But Judge Kelly wasn't so sure.

"I wish I could be as optimistic as you, Mr Minehan," she said.

What was of concern was Rawiri had four previous convictions from 1996, 1998, 1999 and 2010, the judge said.

She sentenced Rawiri to four months' home detention on the drink-driving charge with a special condition to attend alcohol and drug counselling as directed.

He is subject to six months' post release conditions and indefinitely disqualified from driving. If he is granted his licence back by the director of NZTA, he must apply for a zero alcohol licence for the first three years.

On the dangerous driving charge he was sentenced to one month's home detention and disqualified from driving for 12 months and one day.