Man has 16 drink-driving convictions - and he's still drinking

Alcoholic Kevin Deighton claims he is capable of driving when drunk.

An alcoholic who is facing jail after being convicted of drink-driving for the 16th time remains convinced his behaviour is not hurting anyone.

Kevin Earl Deighton, 63, of the Hamilton suburb Fairfield, claimed he was safe behind the wheel and a capable driver when drunk.

Deighton said he was not proud of his drink-driving record.

But he defended his driving ability while under the influence of alcohol.

"Most people my age are people who were brought up drinking and driving; it is part of our lives, but back then our cars didn't fall apart if we crashed," he said.

A spokesman for Alcoholics Anonymous said Deighton - who usually drinks eight cans of beer a day - needed to front up to his behaviour.

"If he denies his drinking does not affect his driving then he is an idiot. He has to begin to understand that alcohol impairs judgment," he said.

Deighton, a painter who was raised in boys' homes, last week pleaded guilty to his 16th drink-driving charge and his 10th charge of driving while disqualified. He has previously spent time in jail for driving drunk.

The Hamilton District Court heard that Deighton was stopped on Te Rapa Rd on June 14 after his car was seen weaving across the road. It was dark and wet at the time, and the traffic flow was described as heavy.

Deighton's evidential breath test returned a result almost double the legal limit at 746mg (the limit is 400mg). He was disqualified from driving and had his car impounded. He will be sentenced on September 26.

When asked for an explanation, Deighton told police he "had a few beers after work". He had been drinking at the Te Rapa Tavern.

"I went from one lane to another, I was not swerving like the cops told the court. It has taken 50 years to get f****ng 16 convictions," he laughed. Deighton intends appealing if his sentence exceeds two years in prison.

The man admits to being an alcoholic, and remains loyal to the Waikato Draught brew he grew fond of after his wife of 25 years, Linda, died of cancer in January 2004.

"When my missus died I went back to my old ways," Deighton told the Herald on Sunday.

"I miss her so much it is not funny. I stopped drinking during Linda's illness but, because she was all I had, when she died I thought 'bugger this' and returned to the can," he said.

Deighton, a 1950s Navy gunner, was bailed on the condition he did not consume alcohol or visit licensed premises. But he said he was continuing to drink.

"The funny thing is, 20 people can leave a pub pissed and I am the only one caught," he said. "If you are pissed you shouldn't drive, but I am not usually caught."

He said he has been involved in several car accidents while intoxicated "but I haven't hurt anyone yet".

Asked whether or not New Zealanders had a drinking problem, Deighton answered: "New Zealand doesn't, just old painters."

Earlier this month, Bruce McLaren Intermediate School teacher Joanna Winifred Wright, 48, was sentenced to 200 hours of community work, and disqualified from driving for 18 months after being caught with 1583 micrograms of alcohol per litre of breath - more than three times the legal limit.

In June the Court of Appeal refused home detention for a man who was convicted of drink-driving 12 times and driving while disqualified 18 times. Brent Fraser admitted driving with excess blood alcohol, driving while disqualified, and giving false details. He was jailed for 18 months.

Between 2003 and 2005, 12 per cent of alcohol-related road deaths were caused by people aged 60 and older. More than 85 per cent of alcohol-affected drivers in fatal crashes are male.