Regan’s drunken rollick through Reefton ends in a paddock and another drink-drive offence

Broadway, in Reefton, which Regan Murphy included in his high-speed drive through the town on Christmas Eve last year. Photo / Stewart Nimmo

It was the night before Christmas but not everybody at the Hotel Reefton was feeling merry.

Fisherman Regan Murphy, 31, had not long been ashore after a trip to sea and was enjoying a drink at the West Coast town’s local when he got into a quarrel with another patron.

The mistake he made was to leave in a hurry, in his ute, having already had convictions for drinking and driving - in December 2017 and again in November 2019.

“He doesn’t have a problem with alcohol, but when he gets off the boat he goes a bit crazy,” Murphy’s lawyer told the Nelson District Court this week.

Murphy pleaded guilty to driving with excess breath alcohol on a third or subsequent time and driving dangerously through Reefton on the evening of December 24 last year.

The court heard that after the altercation, Murphy drove down The Strand and onto Kelly St where he failed to give way at the intersection and narrowly missed a vehicle travelling west on Broadway.

Broadway is Reefton’s main street and has a high traffic and pedestrian flow, the police summary of facts said.

“The defendant’s speed was so great that his vehicle crossed the centreline into the eastbound lane, and the tyres screeched as they lost traction with the sealed surface,” police said.

Murphy continued to drive in an “erratic manner” west on Broadway and right past the Reefton police station.

As he approached the intersection of Broadway and Sinnamon St, State Highway 7, at speed, Murphy veered left onto Sinnamon St without giving way. The tyres of his vehicle clipped the inside kerb, which caused the back of the car to become airborne.

“The defendant’s speed was too great to complete the turn safely and his vehicle crossed the centreline and into the oncoming lane,” Police said, adding that it was sheer luck no other vehicle was in the way at the time.

Murphy continued south on SH7 and entered a 70 kph speed zone, still within the Reefton township.

As he went around a moderate right-hand corner his ute lost traction and skidded off the road, knocking over a street sign and then “careering through a fence into a paddock”.

The police found Murphy after he’d got out of the ute and was walking towards Ikamatua.

An evidential breath test turned up an alcohol reading of 515 micrograms of alcohol per litre of breath.

Murphy told police he’d had “seven or eight” standard beers before leaving the hotel because of the argument with a patron.

He was remanded on bail for sentencing in August.

When asked if that date was suitable, he told the court he was willing to miss a fishing trip to be there.

Tracy Neal is a Nelson-based Open Justice reporter at NZME. She was previously RNZ’s regional reporter in Nelson-Marlborough and has covered general news, including court and local government for the Nelson Mail.