Hunter four times over limit

Police stopped driver and stock manager George Howard Timothy Carrington, 37, near Eketahuna last August and found he was almost four times over the legal blood alcohol limit.

A judge who sentenced a Wairarapa stock manager for drink-driving with a rifle in his car found there was nothing "sinister" in the man's actions but he had still put the public at risk.

In August last year, George Howard Timothy Carrington, 37, was stopped by police near Eketahuna as he headed to Hawke's Bay on a hunting trip.

Another driver on the road had called police after seeing him weave across the centre line.

Police found Carrington was nearly four times the then legal alcohol limit of 80mg, with a reading of 300mg of alcohol per 100 millilitres of blood.

The legal limit for an adult is now 50mg.

Police also discovered a rifle and ammunition in the back seat of his car. Carrington previously pleaded guilty in Masterton District Court to charges of drink-driving and possession of a firearm while intoxicated.

In court on Monday, his lawyer Virginia Pearson said he'd had a relationship breakdown. "This is a situation where Mr Carrington was not in a very good headspace in his life. "He was under extreme stress and he'd started self medicating."

She said he had pleaded guilty at the earliest opportunity and undertaken drug and alcohol counselling.

Judge Ian Mill said Carrington admitted to police he had been drinking when stopped. "You said you had been drinking and were unsteady on your feet ... you stated to police you thought you were an alcoholic.

"There's no evidence to suggest anything sinister."

Judge Mill said Carrington was spoken very highly of by his employer and had acknowledged he had a problem. "Things got on top of you and you started to drink."

He said Carrington had put himself and the public at risk and he could not afford to come back on another drink driving charge.

Judge Mill convicted and sentenced him to four months' community detention and nine months' supervision on both charges.

He also disqualified him from driving for one year and one day in relation to the drink driving charge and ordered him to pay $354 for medical fees.