Dunedin drink-driver jailed after turning up to court drunk

The court was told Ravindra Singam Ganesan was so intoxicated he couldn't complete the breath testing procedure. File photo / Duncan Brown

A double drink-driver who turned up at court intoxicated and had to dry out in the police cells has been jailed for five months.

However, Ravindra Singam Ganesan, 58, was likely to be released from prison soon, because of the time he had spent behind bars on remand.

The defendant first came to the attention of police in July last year, when a member of the public called to express concerns about his driving.

Ganesan had been blocking a driveway in Mosgiel and staggered out of his vehicle after being asked to move the car.

When police found him ordering food, he was so drunk he could not complete breath-testing procedures.

A blood sample gave a result of 293mg — nearly six times the legal limit.

"Most alarmingly he said he was drinking because he had a sore head and that he was driving because he couldn't walk far," Judge Kevin Phillips told the Dunedin District Court yesterday.

Counsel Pete Tuala said his client's binge had been triggered by a serious assault that had taken place in Wellington.

The judge noted there was no evidence of such an incident.

Ganesan doubled his trouble, while on bail, in January.

Responding to reports of erratic driving around downtown Dunedin, police pulled over the defendant and the signs of excessive alcohol consumption were clear.

In the foot-well of the man's car were numerous empty wine bottles and he had wet himself.

His breath reading of 1104mcg of alcohol per litre of breath was more than four times the limit.

And it got worse.

Ganesan turned up to court on January 24 while drunk.

He spent time in the police cells sobering up before he could eventually appear in the dock.

Tuala said the alcoholic spiral occurred because Ganesan lost his accommodation and was sleeping in his car.

He had no family or support in Dunedin and planned to go to Malaysia, he said.

Ganesan was disqualified from driving for 28 days, with alcohol-interlock licensing provisions to follow.