Drink-driving Bay of Plenty school principal Kenneth Henry sentenced after crashing into roundabout

Kutarere School principal Kenneth Henry returned a reading of 206 milligrams of alcohol per 100 millilitres of blood.

A Bay of Plenty school principal who crashed his car into a roundabout had a blood alcohol level four times over the legal limit.

Kutarere School principal Kenneth Henry was sentenced to 12 months’ supervision when he appeared in Whakatāne District Court on Wednesday on a charge of driving with excess blood alcohol.

The court heard Henry, who has two previous convictions for drink-driving, underwent a blood alcohol test after the crash.

It returned a reading of 206 milligrams of alcohol per 100 millilitres of blood. The legal limit for driving is 50mg.

Henry’s lawyer, Lisa Ebbers, told Judge Christopher Harding the defendant had been having a “rough time the past few years”, with health issues and a relationship breakdown.

She recommended the judge impose a sentence of supervision.

Although the school board of trustees had previously said Henry could keep his job while serving a community detention sentence, Ebbers said a board meeting on Tuesday night had suggested a community detention sentence could result in termination.

Harding said some school trustees had provided character references in support of Henry.

He acknowledged Henry’s support of programmes in the community and that he had experienced “a number of issues in recent years”.

Harding said the sentence should have been more serious given Henry’s previous convictions, but the potential loss of his job would be “detrimental” to him and the community.

Henry was disqualified from driving for 28 days, after which time he will be subject to an interlock licence, then a zero-alcohol licence.

He was ordered to pay $237.98 to police for the blood test.

Supplied by the Whakatāne Beacon.