Late-night pie craving carries a high cost

A Queenstown man was breath-tested at more than four times the legal alcohol limit after driving to buy food. Photo / 123rf

A Queenstown man made a late-night trip to buy a pie while more than four times over the alcohol limit.

On July 22, Christopher Lloyd Anderson, 24, a scaffolder by trade, had been drinking in the resort’s town centre when he decided at 4am to drive 7km to a petrol station in Frankton to get a pie.

On his return journey on Frankton Rd, he was seen by police who had gone looking for him after receiving information about a potential drink-driver in a car matching the description of the defendant’s.

The police patrol car began following the defendant with its red and blue lights flashing.

Anderson showed no signs of being aware of the police, failing to slow down after entering a 50km/h speed zone.

He could be seen drifting left and right, correcting with sudden movements.

He continued along Frankton Rd into Stanley St, then turned left into Ballarat St, crossing the centre line and driving on the wrong side.

After turning into Athol St, he drove for about 30m in the wrong direction on its one-way section before stopping in a public car park.

A breath-alcohol test recorded a level of 1148mcg — the legal limit is 250mcg.

He told police he had no idea why he drove to Frankton for food and could not remember flashing lights or sirens behind him.

At Anderson’s sentencing in the Queenstown District Court yesterday, his lawyer, Ben Alexander, said the defendant was “quite shocked” by his actions, and had stopped drinking after the incident.

It was his second drink-driving conviction.

“He knows he can’t continue to act in such a way.”

Community magistrate Simon Heale sentenced him to 40 hours’ community work and disqualified him from driving for six months, after which he can apply for an alcohol interlock licence.

He is also subject to nine months’ supervision.