Drivers trap drunk boss

Janice Enright was disqualified for 10 months. Photo / Herald on Sunday

A "grossly intoxicated" company director driving with two young boys in her car was arrested after being trapped by concerned motorists.

Janice Sylvia Enright, 42, was more than three times the legal limit when she was nabbed by Nathan Peters and another driver on a country road in North Canterbury.

She was fined $1200 and disqualified for 10 months in the Rangiora District Court on Wednesday.

The court heard she had a breath alcohol reading of 1231mcg of alcohol per litre of breath. The legal adult limit is 400mcg.

Constable Charlotte Dyhrberg said there may have been a tragic accident had the other motorists not stopped Enright.

"She was that drunk she could hardly stand, she was grossly intoxicated. What they did was fantastic."

Peters told the Herald On Sunday he was near Rangiora, about 20km north of Christchurch, at about 8pm on June 9 when he noticed Enright driving erratically.

When a car in front of him overtook her, she reacted by swerving hard to the left, almost going into a ditch.

After the car passed she swerved hard to the right, crossing to the other side of the road and almost into another ditch.

"I knew she was drunk," said Peters.

Moments later, Enright almost failed to take a sharp bend.

"She was going about 80km/h. It would have been disastrous. She pulled over and I stopped."

Peters said the children in the back wound down their window as Enright sat still behind the wheel.

"The kids were crying. I said: 'Has your mum been drinking?' They nodded and said, 'she's drunk as'."

Peters said Enright wound down the window and said: "Mind your own f****** business, f*** off."

At that point, the motorist who had overtaken Enright came back.

"He'd seen the way she had driven and came back to help," said Peters. "As he pulled up, she drove off."

The second motorist overtook Enright and applied his brakes to get her to stop as Peters drove up behind to pin her in.

Enright started reversing to make room to escape and Peters backed up so his car wouldn't be damaged. But Enright gave up.

Peters called the police and got the children, Enright's 12-year-old son and his 11-year-old friend, out of the car. "They told me they thought they were going to die. They said 'she's already almost hit two other cars'.

"She then got out of her car and tried to get the kids. She was trying to bribe me with all sorts of things to let her go.

"She was abusing me, calling me an arsehole. It was like she didn't care.

"She reeked (of alcohol). She could barely even walk. I was so disgusted that she'd driven with the kids in the car.

"I'm happy I stopped her when I did. If I hadn't stopped ... She would have crashed."

Police said Enright had been drinking at a North Canterbury bar. Enright, a manager and director of Inflight Logistics in Christchurch, refused to comment.