By Don Farmerdon.farmer@age.co.nz
A young Martinborough vineyard worker who crashed a car into a fence in Martins Rd, Martinborough, while drink-driving was fined, disqualified from driving and ordered to pay for fence repairs when he appeared before Judge Carrie Wainwright in Masterton District Court yesterday.
Sutthiphon Phetbamrung, 19, originally from Thailand, pleaded guilty to careless driving and driving with excess blood alcohol.
Prosecutor Sergeant Garry Wilson said Phetbamrung lost control of the car he was driving at about midnight on May 8.
The vehicle slid into the water table then into a fence and tree.
When police got to the scene he had admitted to being the driver and later blood tests showed his blood alcohol level was 68mg of alcohol to 100ml of blood.
The youth alcohol limit is zero, but more serious penalties for blood alcohol levels over 30mg.
Phetbamrung's solicitor Louise Elder said Phetbamrung had been at home in Martinborough where he has a full-time job in a vineyard and decided to drive a friend home.
She asked Judge Wainwright to consider a minimum period of disqualification, being three months, but Judge Wainwright imposed a total disqualification of six months, fined Phetbamrung $250 with costs of $132.89 on the drink-driving charge and $200 with costs of $132.89 for careless driving.
She also ordered Phetbamrung to pay the owner of the wrecked fence $200.
- Unemployed Masterton man Rory Craig Cutfield, 23, was convicted of driving with excess blood alcohol, his third conviction for drink-driving.
He was disqualified from driving for 10 months, sentenced to nine months supervision with alcohol counselling, ordered to pay $271 for blood analysis and ordered to do 100 hours community work in lieu of a fine.
Cutfield was found to have driven in Chapel Street, Masterton, on March 17, with a blood alcohol reading of 101mg per 100ml of blood.
- Wayne John Wakefield, 46, labourer of Masterton, was fined $800 with costs $132.89, disqualified from driving for a year and ordered to undergo six months supervision with alcohol counselling. The charge was for a repeated drink-driving offence.
Wakefield was stopped in West Street, Greytown, on May 12 and recorded a breath alcohol reading of 747mcg of alcohol per litre of breath.
The legal limit is 400mcg.