Community order for crash rider over limit

You have a previous conviction for drink-driving but that was in 2005 and you have self referred to an appropriate organisation in relation to alcohol use.Judge Peter Hobbs

Crashing a trail bike and injuring his pillion passenger after drinking with friends at Mount Holdsworth camping ground led to James William Lee, painter-decorator, appearing in Masterton District Court yesterday.

Lee pleaded guilty to driving with excess blood alcohol causing injury and was sentenced to 60 hours community work, six months' supervision and disqualified from holding a driver's licence for 13 months.

At the expiry of his driving disqualification he will be able to apply for a zero alcohol licence which will remain in force for three years during which time he is not to drive with any alcohol in his system, or risk further criminal charges.

According to police, Lee and his partner, who lived not far from the camping ground, had visited friends there on March 26 for a barbecue and drinks.

They left to go home on a trail bike, neither wearing safety helmets.

Lee had failed to take a moderate left-hand bend and had careered on to the roadside shoulder on the opposite side of the road.

The bike hit a fence, snapping off several battens, knocking Lee unconscious and injuring his partner.

She had scalp, eyebrow, arm injuries, a cut thumb and puncture wounds from the barbed wire but managed to walk about a kilometre and alert residents to their plight.

Both were taken to Wairarapa Hospital and Lee was found to have a blood alcohol level of 169mg of alcohol to 100ml of blood.

The legal limit is 80mg.

Lee's solicitor Louise Elder said Lee admitted the facts as outlined by police and he and his partner had written a letter to the court.

She said Lee had misjudged the amount of alcohol he had consumed and fortunately the injuries to his partner were not lasting ones.

The couple remained together, Ms Elder said.

Since the crash Lee had been unable to work as he had broken a vertebrae in his neck but would soon be able to rejoin the workforce and planned to do so as soon as he was able.

Judge Peter Hobbs said Lee was more than twice the legal limit.

He said Lee's partner had "forgiven" him and had said he was "otherwise a good, caring and supportive partner."

"You have a previous conviction for drink-driving but that was in 2005 and you have self referred to an appropriate organisation in relation to alcohol use, which is laudable," Judge Hobbs said.