Deepak Jhajhria was caught drink-driving with more than five times the legal limit of alcohol in his system. Photo / Duncan Brown
A Hamilton man caught drink-driving at nearly five times over the legal limit was on a zero-alcohol licence after months earlier being busted at a similar level.
Deepak Jhajhria was caught driving with 1415 micrograms (mcg) of alcohol per litre of breath in February this year, just three months after being sentenced for registering 1511mcg.
The legal limit is 250mcg.
At about 10.20pm on Friday, February 13 this year, Jhajhria was driving along River Rd when he spotted a police checkpoint.
In an attempt to avoid police, he turned up a long shared driveway.
He was caught and breath-tested and returned a breath alcohol level of 1415mcgs.
It came just months after Jhajhria was sentenced in November to supervision and community detention for blowing 1511mcg and ordered to fit an alcohol interlock device.
An interlock is a breath-testing device that is wired into a vehicle’s starting system. The driver must blow into it before the vehicle will start.
Police inspected his car last month and found the interlock had not been fitted.
When questioned, he initially denied having anything to drink.
He then said he’d had a “bottle of vodka and gone for a drive”.
The 35-year-old appeared in the Hamilton District Court on Monday on charges of driving at over 250mcgs on an alcohol interlock device and driving contrary to the interlock licence.
He pleaded guilty to the charges and was convicted by Judge Noel Cocurullo, who was not impressed by his behaviour.
“You have a complete inability to not drink alcohol and then drive,” the judge told Jhajhria.
“You have a massive alcohol problem.
“You need to get real about your situation.
“You are wrong when you say there’s no issue. You are wrong.”
Judge Cocurullo remanded Jhajhria on bail for a drug and alcohol assessment.
He also ordered him not to drive.
“You are warned that if you drive, you will be arrested and brought before the court and sent to prison before these matters are dealt with.”
Belinda Feek is an Open Justice reporter based in Waikato. She has worked at NZME for 10 years and has been a journalist for 21.
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