Two drink-drivers found with children in cars

Police found children in two different drink-driving offences. File photo / Supplied

Two drink-drivers, both more than four times the legal limit, were found by police with children in their cars, a court has heard.

Brett James Jenkinson (37) and Louise Helen McElrea (41) both appeared in the Dunedin District Court yesterday over unrelated but similar matters.

Jenkinson, a Dunedin machine operator, was getting a tyre changed on his vehicle on the afternoon of December 28.

He had driven there with two of his four children in the back.

A member of the public was so concerned about the smell coming from the defendant they called police.

Jenkinson was breath-tested by police and returned a reading of 1262mcg.

The legal limit is 250mcg.

He told officers he had been drinking the previous night and had topped up with three stubbies that morning.

When interviewed by Probation, Jenkinson said he did not see any harm to his children from the experience.

"You are wrong," Judge Emma Smith said.

Defence counsel David More made an application to have a disqualification converted to a community-based sentence so his client could continue working. He would lose his job if he was unable to drive, the court heard.

But Judge Smith said there was no evidence Jenkinson could not find work in another field.

Jenkinson was sentenced to 12 months' intensive supervision and 75 hours' community work. He will be subject to an alcohol-interlock regime.

Later, McElrea stood in the dock on a similar charge.

She had been in Queenstown with family from overseas when an argument developed.

With three of her four children, she left the December 30 gathering and headed to a holiday home at Toko Mouth, counsel Joe O'Neill said.

In Cromwell she picked up two bottles of wine.

McElrea parked for the night in Manuka Gorge but police were called because part of her vehicle was protruding into the road, putting it at risk of collision.

When officers reached the scene she and the children were asleep.

McElrea was breath-tested and returned 1157mcg.

She explained that she had drunk a bottle of wine in the lay-by.

She was assessed as sincerely remorseful.

Mr O'Neill described her as "contrite beyond words" and said the court process had been so stressful for his client that she had lost a significant amount of weight.

She had started attending counselling and was finding it "very beneficial", he said.

McElrea was given nine months' supervision, 80 hours' community work and made subject to the provisions of the alcohol-interlock regime.