Almost a third of defendants on the court list in the Queenstown District Court yesterday faced some form of drink-driving charge. Photo / File
A judge yesterday castigated a flood of drink-drivers who appeared in the Queenstown District Court.
Almost a third of defendants on the court list faced some form of drink-driving charge.
The 21 drink-drivers among 64 defendants included one man who was almost twice the criminal limit while driving to work the morning after drinking.
Another was on his sixth drink-drive conviction.
Seven drink-drivers were convicted in the morning session alone.
Judge Christina Cook gave several a tongue-lashing.
She told United States roofer Bryan Drew Dilks (27) he must have drunk a "horrendous" amount of alcohol to have a level of 769mcg when stopped in Beach St, Queenstown, at 9.15am, December 9, the morning after he had been drinking.
"What is really concerning is you were going to a work site," she said.
"It was 9.15am, people are going to work, being dropped off at school, and you are there driving a motor vehicle at almost twice the criminal level."
The criminal level is 401mcg, while drivers below that but above 250mcg get a ticket and demerit points.
Dilks was disqualified for six months, fined $900 and ordered to pay $130 court costs.
Machine operator Paul Robert Dennis (38) of Frankton, was convicted of his sixth drink-driving charge, although the last one was 12 years ago.
Judge Cook said the gap in offending saved him from prison or an electronically-monitored sentence.
He was caught at a checkpoint on December 11, with a level of 444mcg.
"You're lucky you weren't sent to prison last time," she said.
She added: "You've clearly been through this process, you know the risk and should never have taken that risk."
Dennis was sentenced to 250 hours' community work, nine months' supervision, and disqualified for 12 months.
Duty lawyer Tanya Surrey said Wanaka man Jason Joseph Holden (26) was remorseful for drink-driving.
Judge Cook countered: "I'm sure you would have been much more regretful had you killed or injured someone with that level of alcohol in your system.
"How many more times do we have to see the toll on our roads, the fatalities, caused by behaviour just like this?"
Holden was stopped in Warren St, Wanaka, on December 9 with a level of 1037mcg.
He was fined $1300, disqualified for eight months and ordered to pay court costs of $130.
Police have instructed holidaymakers to stay out of the water.