It was a miracle a recidivist drink-driver, caught driving while his blood/alcohol level was four times the legal limit, had not killed anyone, a judge said yesterday when sentencing the man to prison.
Alan Andrew Hamilton, 38, of Whangarei, pleaded guilty in the Whangarei District Court to driving while disqualified and
driving with an alcohol level of 1633 micrograms per litre of breath. The legal limit for motorists aged over 20 is 400mcg.
Judge Stan Thorburn sentenced Hamilton to 21 months' jail and said the alcohol level was an astoundingly high reading.
"It's a miracle you haven't killed yourself by driving and it's a miracle you haven't killed someone else," Judge Thorburn said.
Hamilton, who had 13 previous convictions for alcohol-related driving offences, was disqualified indefinitely from driving and cannot apply for home detention.
- NZPA
