Spate of drivers tested over twice limit

7th July 2010

A slew of drink drivers at Masterton District Court on Monday were characterised by what Judge Oke Blaikie called a ''theme of high-alcohol readings'', with several of the following convicted drink drivers two or more times over the legal limit.
Masterton widow's beneficiary and caregiver Marilyn Jean Bak, 58, who was disqualified from driving for six months and sentenced to six months' supervision after she was stopped and breathalysed at 857mcg of alcohol per litre of breath _ more than twice the legal limit of 400mcg.
Bak was stopped just before midnight on Dixon St, Masterton, on June 23 and her lawyer said she hadn't intended to go out that night but had left to visit a distressed relative. She was still in her dressing gown when she was arrested.
The lawyer also said Bak had recently lost her husband ''under very tragic circumstances''. After having had to turn off his life support she said trauma and grief was still haunting her client and she was still plagued by bad dreams.
Judge Blaikie advised Bak not to ''drown yourself in alcohol to deal with your issues'' as he handed down the sentence.
Timothy David Gray, 27, of Masterton was blood tested at more than three times the legal limit when he was stopped by police on Masterton's Dixon St on May 1.
Gray said he had made a ''bad call'' after leaving a private function and driving drunk.
Judge Blaikie said Gray had an ''extremely high level of alcohol'' in his system before sentencing him to nine months' supervision and disqualifying him for nine months.
Steven Alan Brackenbury, 42, of Masterton, was blood tested at more than twice the legal limit after being stopped on State Highway 2 on April 2.
''With this amount of alcohol in your system you are a menace to other road users and yourself,'' Judge Blaikie said before disqualifying Brackenbury for nine months and fining him $800 plus costs.
Carterton vineyard labourer Nathan Thomas Namana, 22, also appeared facing one count each of drunk driving, careless driving and driving while suspended.
Namana was arrested in Carterton after reversing into a parked car outside Parkvale Hall on the evening of May 5 as witnesses followed him back to his house in Carterton.
He was arrested by police on an unrelated matter and admitted drinking and was then breathalysed at 864mcg _ again more than twice the legal limit.
He later told police he did not think he had damaged the other car and had needed to get home to meet his bail curfew.
On May 10 Namana was picked up again driving drunk in Martinborough after having had his licence suspended over the Carterton incident.
This time he blew 650mcg and couldn't give a reasonable excuse for being behind the wheel.
He was bailed on curfew conditions and that he not drink alcohol before sentencing in early September pending a pre-sentence report.
Unemployed Masterton man Jessie John Lousich, 21, was warned by Judge Blaikie that he faced prison if he continued to offend when he appeared on a third or subsequent charge of driving with excess breath alcohol.
The charge follows a trio of drunk-driving incidents in Masterton this year.
Late on February 23 Lousich was stopped driving drunk on a moped along Lincoln Rd _ he blew 555mcg and then exercised his right to a blood test, which confirmed the earlier positive breathalyser result.
Around 2am on March 20 Lousich was picked up on Lincoln Rd, this time driving a car and blowing 557mcg.
Then on May 9, around 1.40am, he was stopped yet again on a scooter after he was seen carrying a passenger and not wearing a helmet _ this time he blew 767mcg.
Lousich has a total of six drunk-driving convictions and said he had drunk around six spirit mixer drinks before he drove the scooter in May.
Judge Blaikie disqualified Lousich from driving indefinitely, ordered him to pay the costs for his blood test and sentenced him to four months' electronically monitored home detention.
Vineyard contractor Simon Laurence Ford, 45, was picked up for drink driving after being stopped at a Colombo Rd police checkpoint on the evening of May 13.
Ford provided a blood sample analysed at roughly 1 times the legal limit.
Ford's lawyer reminded the court her client was before the courts for the first time; ''he's led a blameless life in terms of court ...