Cannabis in system of Whanganui man when he crashed 'grunty' new car into garage

Jesse Tristram Robertson had cannabis in his system when he lost control accelerating out of a roundabout and crashed into a garage on Jackson St. Photo / File

A Whanganui man had cannabis in his system when he lost control of his new car coming out of a roundabout and crashed into a garage on January 17.

Jesse Tristram Robertson, 23, damaged his vehicle, damaged a garage and damaged a vehicle within that garage in the crash.

Following the incident, Robertson failed to satisfactorily complete a compulsory impairment test and a subsequent blood test revealed a positive result for cannabis.

Police prosecutor Drew Morrison told Whanganui District Court that Robertson drove his vehicle through a roundabout on to Jackson St.

"He accelerated heavily coming out of the roundabout and lost control in wet conditions, which resulted in the defendant crashing into a garage," he said.

"The defendant was located at the scene of the crash and admitted he was the driver of the vehicle. The vehicle was moderately damaged and no one was injured."

Lawyer for the defence Jamie Waugh said that Robertson accepted that he would need to pay reparation and submitted that those reparations as well as a loss of licence should be sufficient consequences.

"He has entered an immediate guilty plea, it was a new car, he went from a little four cylinder car to a grunty Holden and he lost control on a roundabout in the wet," Waugh said.

"He is in fulltime employment and he has gone around to the victim's house and apologised because he was very concerned about the effect this could have had on the victim."

Judge Dugald Matheson asked Robertson how he had arrived at Whanganui District Court and Robertson replied that his parents had driven him there.

"Mr Robertson, I agree with your council, you are convicted and disqualified [from driving] for a period of six months from and including today," Judge Matheson said.

"You are also to pay reparation of $400 to the victim and $762.63 to the New Zealand police by way of drug analysis expenses and that's the end of that."