Alcohol device ordered

TESTING THE LIMIT: A court has ordered a man with nine drink-driving charges to pay for an interlock device to be fitted to his car.PHOTO/FILE

A 43-year-old recidivist drink driver convicted on his ninth drink driving charge will have to have an "expensive" zero alcohol interlock device fitted to his car once his disqualification period ends, to stop him from driving drunk.

In Masterton District Court this month, Judge Jill Moss sentenced former logging truck driver Nigel Richard Coombes to community detention and to have one of the alcohol devices fitted to his car once he is allowed to drive again.

Coombes had previously pleaded guilty to his ninth drink driving and his 18th driving while disqualified charges. He was stopped by police after drivers saw him driving dangerously on the Rimutaka Hill Rd on February 27 crossing the centre line on to the opposite side of the road.

He blew an alcohol reading of 755mcg, above the then 400mg adult alcohol limit.

A pre-sentence report by Community Corrections recommended Coombes be sentenced to home detention.

Lawyer Frank Minehan argued for community detention telling the court Coombes had already been punished, losing his "well paying" job because of the conviction and he had actively undergone a residential alcohol rehabilitation programme. He has prospects of employment and has the support of his partner, Mr Minehan said.

"He has succeeded where many have failed."

Community detention combined with community work would offer Coombes the chance to "do good work for the community to give something back for his offending".

"He's been sober for six months," Mr Minehan said.

Judge Moss said Coombes had driven "terrifyingly" while drunk and she needed to protect the public from him.

He had put other drivers at "significant" risk of harm.

"You are the kind of offender we judges think 'what else can you do to persuade you'," she said. "You have tried everything."

She said there had been a four-year gap in Coombes' offending and he had made positive moves to address his alcohol addiction, so she would step back from an imprisonment sentence.

Judge Moss sentenced Coombes to six months' community detention with a daily curfew between 7pm and 5.30am. She ordered him to pay $340.40 reparation, disqualified him from driving for a year and a day and ordered a zero alcohol interlock device be fitted to his car once he gets his driver's licence back.

"We don't want to stop you from living, just driving dangerously," she said. "I'm concerned about your history, it predicts the future."