Home brew defence fails to persuade judge

A Taranaki drink driver told a court the reason she was more than double the legal alcohol limit was because home brewed vodka she had been drinking must have been stronger than she realised.

Karen Slater, 53, appeared in the Hawera District Court yesterday after police at a checkpoint registered her breath alcohol limit at 904 - the legal limit is 400, the Taranaki Daily News reported.

The cleaner from Mokoia told Judge Allan Roberts she had been drinking home brew vodka and orange before driving.

"It was stronger than I thought it would be," she said.

Judge Roberts said Slater must have been "drinking it by the gallon" to get the reading she got.

"At that level I have difficulty in thinking how you remained upright."

Slater was sentenced to 200 hours' community work and disqualified from driving for 12 months.

- NZPA