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The advertising guru whose company helps market alcohol to the masses was caught drink-driving when his high-powered sports car crashed into a group of foreign diplomats after a liquid lunch in Auckland.
Dean Philip Taylor, general manager of Saatchi & Saatchi, pleaded guilty in Auckland District Court last week to driving with excess blood alcohol and three charges of careless driving causing injury. English-born Taylor, 37, admitted the charges more than a year after leaving lunch at SPQR on Ponsonby Rd. His TVR 500 crashed into a car carrying three Chinese officials on November 1, 2005.
Visiting diplomats Liu Lingling, Bae Jie and Zhigang Yan were hospitalised from the impact and police found Taylor's blood alcohol was 112 milligrams per 1000 millilitres - above the 80mg limit.
The charges were later downgraded from dangerous to careless driving but Taylor was ordered to pay $10,120 reparation to the victims, convicted and fined $1000. He was also ordered to pay $130 costs and disqualified from driving for six months.
Saatchi & Saatchi creates advertising for DB Breweries and 42 Below vodka. Taylor, who lives in St Marys Bay, said he had not worked on the DB account but declined to comment on his conviction. "I'm just really sorry about the whole thing, so sorry."
