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TAURANGA - A man who has notched up his 16th drink-driving conviction is unlikely to change his ways, Tauranga District Court was told today.
Phillip Bruce Noble, 43, a weedsprayer, who was also facing sentence on his sixth count of driving while disqualified, has been jailed for a total of 18 months.
"You have been to prison for these matters plenty of times before," Judge Thomas Ingram told him. "You just can't seem to learn."
The public deserved some protection from Noble, at least while he was behind bars.
"There is obviously a huge risk to the community from people who have drunk as much as you have (and then driven)," said the judge.
"It is unacceptable."
Declining leave to apply for home detention, he added: "You are a man who cannot control himself."
Judge Ingram acknowledged Noble had some sense of responsibility when he was sober but "absolutely none" after he had been drinking.
Nevertheless, he was a hard worker. "And that counts for something with me."
Lawyer Michael Toner said he had acted for Noble for the same sort of offences at least a dozen times before.
"I sincerely hope I don't have to address the court on a similar matter again. However, that is up to Mr Noble," he said.
According to the pre-sentence report, his client had low levels of motivation to address his offending.
"It is no secret that he is a chronic alcoholic," said Mr Toner.
Noble had no perspective when it came to driving after drinking.
"He will offend again and continue offending as long as alcohol is a problem."
The lawyer said there had been no apparent fault with Noble's driving when he was stopped by police at a random checkpoint in Papamoa about 8.20pm last October 2.
He had a reading of 724 micrograms of alcohol per litre of breath, which Mr Toner said was "not particularly high when it stands in isolation".
The gravity was having committed multiple offences of a similar nature.
Noble had always been in full employment and was described as a very hard working person.
In the past, he appeared to have completed all community-based sentences and all alcohol-related programmes he had been put on.
"But it has not solved the problem. He needs some severe intervention following his sentence to prevent this happening again. If not, history will repeat itself," said Mr Toner.
The judge said release conditions would include courses addressing Noble's alcohol addiction.
- NZPA
