Relief teacher five times over drink-drive limit

A relief teacher has admitted driving with a blood alcohol level of more than five times the legal limit - among the highest recorded in New Zealand.

Lisa Rachel Bowers, 39, pleaded guilty in Tauranga District Court yesterday.

Community magistrate Robyn Paterson said the reading of 426 milligrams of alcohol per 100 millilitres of blood was "alarming - the highest reading I have seen in this court".

The legal limit is 80mg.

Bowers' initial breath-alcohol test exceeded the breath-testing machine's maximum limit of 2000 micrograms per litre of breath.

Ms Paterson said Bowers was lucky to be standing in the dock and it was fortunate no other people had been hurt. "Clearly you need some real assistance."

Bowers, a first offender, was remanded on bail until late September and a probation report and drug and alcohol assessment were requested. She was forbidden to drive in the meantime.

Sergeant Roy Blomkamp told the court Bowers got into her car on Papamoa Beach Rd on the evening of July 16. She revved the motor, stalled it, had trouble finding reverse gear, drove over a kerb and stalled again a short distance away.

When police arrived Bowers said she was drunk and had been to see her counsellor.

After her arrest, Tauranga officers described the blood-alcohol reading as the highest they had seen in decades.

Just a week ago another teacher, West Aucklander Joanna Winifred Wright, was sentenced to 200 hours of community work and disqualified from driving for 18 months after a conviction for being four times over the legal limit. Her alcohol level was 1583 micrograms per litre of breath. The breath-alcohol limit is 400mg. Wright, 48, who has since lost her job, had two previous drink-driving convictions.

Two other female drivers have made headlines in the last few months for high alcohol readings.

Dunedin woman Patricia Anne Konia, 47, was jailed in July for six weeks after being convicted of driving with a blood alcohol level of 426mg per 100ml of blood, the same level as Bowers. In Napier, 66-year-old Elizabeth Stevenson was fined more than $1900 and disqualified for 10 months. She recorded 368mg of alcohol per 100ml of blood.

- NZPA