Drunken sailor in car smash

Photo / Brett Phibbs

A drunken sailor left ruin in his wake after driving his car through the window of an art gallery.

The sailor, 21, then tried to reverse out of the gallery and escape.

The incident has left Navy bosses embarrassed and struggling to explain the latest booze-related incident connected to Auckland's Devonport naval base.

While defence bosses have a mess to clean up, it's nothing compared to the chaos facing Art By The Sea owner Mike Geers. He said about $40,000 worth of damage had been done - and meetings with the naval base commander and police had done little to ease the pain. Geers said insurance did not cover business that was lost while the building was repaired.

"It's extremely upsetting. The damage is pretty severe for us and we want something done about it. We were very lucky not to have a fatality."

Geers said there was concern in the area at incidents involving staff from the naval base and alcohol. "We're all neighbours with the navy. We all share that area."

He said the base commander had explained that the navy had embarked on an "extensive" education regime around responsible drinking. "But something must have slipped through."

A spate of incidents in 2007 led to navy recruiters banding with police to teach a special alcohol-related ethics course.

Local news website The Devonport Speculator reported that after crashing and backing out of the store, the driver drove the vehicle on its wheel rims - leaving the car's registration plate inside the shop. Eyewitnesses described the driver as "paralytic".

Navy spokeswoman Sarah Campbell said two military policemen had visited the shop yesterday to offer assistance to the owner.

The sailor would face disciplinary action based on whether his conduct was becoming of a naval rating, she said.

Detective Senior Sergeant Brett Batty, of the North Shore police, would not reveal the alcohol reading or whether charges were laid.