Recidivist young Waikato drink-driver now on the right track after crash, court

Flynn Purnell-Williams was caught driving drunk four times in four months, culminating in him losing control of his car and crashing.

Flynn Purnell-Williams “didn’t care about anything” when he drove drunk four times in as many months, finally crashing his car into a ditch on the outskirts of a rural Waikato town.

His mother said it was a “scary time for our family” and she feared she would lose her son in a fatal car crash.

Now, Purnell-Williams has seen the error of his ways after completing a programme aimed at young, at-risk drivers.

He even admitted to Judge Stephen Clark in the Hamilton Young Adults Court he “wasn’t really all there” at the time of his offending as he continued to drink and drive, and ultimately crashed his car on a rural road near Morrinsville.

Purnell-Williams was caught driving drunk four times between June 18 and October 29 last year, with the last incident resulting in him losing control of his car on a slight left-hand band and crashing into a ditch on the opposite side of the road.

His first three busts all occurred during the early hours of the morning on Hamilton city streets, when he returned levels of 400 micrograms, 672mcg, 151 milligrams, and 132mlg when he crashed his car.

The legal limits are 250mcg for breath alcohol and 50mlg for blood.

Purnell-Williams told Judge Clark last week if he could turn back time, “I would do a whole lot of things differently”.

Since completing the 10-week Right Track programme, it had “changed my whole mindset”, he said.

The Right Track programme targeted at-risk drivers and recidivist offenders facing driving offences.

Judge Clark told Purnell-Williams he was fortunate not to be facing more serious charges.

“It’s everyone else who is on the road, in your car ... people get injured and killed because people are drink-driving every day of the week in this country, 356 days a year ... thousands more get injured.

“People get away with it for a long time, and then all of a sudden, it happens.”

Purnell-Williams’ mother was also given the opportunity to speak and told Judge Clark she was thankful the court gave her son the chance to not only save his own life, but the lives of others on the road.

“It was a really scary time for our family, and we’re thankful that the court system has supported us because we are not drink-drivers.

“Our boy was really lost and, as a community, we were really worried.”

Judge Clark told Purnell-Williams his offending was aggravated due to him “continuing to rack up those offences”.

“You’re typical of a lot of young guys that come in front of [the court] ... in the sense that there’s quite a lot of heavy drinking when you are with mates and a lack of thought about how you are going to get around the place.”

The young man had completed an alcohol impairment course along with the Right Track programme and made a donation to Hato Hone St John Ambulance.

“One hopes, Flynn, that you don’t come back before the court again, particularly for something like this,” the judge said.

“I can tell you if you did, more serious charges would be laid and a judge would start looking at depriving you of your liberty ... and imprisonment.”

On the six charges, Purnell-Williams was sentenced to 15 months’ intensive supervision and 250 hours’ community work, which would all be judicially monitored, meaning the judge would get a report on his progress every three months.

He was also disqualified from driving for three months before he could apply for a 12-month alcohol interlock licence.

Belinda Feek is an Open Justice reporter based in Waikato. She has worked at NZME for eight years and been a journalist for 19.