Keith Robinson was sentenced in the Hamilton District Court today to three months' community detention and lost his licence indefinitely after earlier pleading guilty to drink-driving and driving on a suspended licence.
He was also given a daily curfew from 9.30pm to 5am.
Judge Glen Marshall warned Robinson, who played 12 tests for the All Blacks up to 2007, he could face jail if he was ever caught on driving offences again.
It was the third time the 36-year-old farmer had been caught driving on a suspended licence when police stopped him on May 27 in Morrinsville.
"Your explanation was you'd never been told that. You have previous convictions for that in September and January of 2012 and you're rapidly heading towards a situation where if you get caught with any further driving offences ... then you certainly may be facing a fully custodial sentence."
On May 12 Robinson was pulled over by police in the early hours of the morning after the car he was driving crossed the centreline on State Highway 26, not far from his home. He was also towing a trailer.
"When spoken to you showed signs of recent alcohol consumption," Judge Marshall said. "A blood sample was subsequently taken and your level was 115mg of alcohol per 100ml of blood - obviously well over the 80mg limit."
Robinson, a father of four, admitted the two charges in July.
Police sought to confiscate his car but Judge Marshall said it would cause extreme hardship to Robinson's wife who owned it, because she had to assume some of her husband's farming responsibilities.
"She is a fulltime mother and actively involved in your family farm business. She also has duties in taking the children (aged 3 to 10) to and from school."
He said Robinson had put the business in jeopardy with his offending and forced his wife to take a more hands-on approach because of the disqualification.
"But I accept that you are remorseful for that."
Judge Marshall said police sought the car because of Robinson's other offending.
Last year he admitted a charge of injuring with intent to injure following an attack on a 50-year-old man outside the Palace Hotel in Te Aroha during a pub crawl.
For that Robinson was sentenced in January to 300 hours of community work and nine months of supervision, and was ordered to undertake an anger management course.
Robinson would be able to make a special application to get his licence back 13 months from today.
- By Natalie Akoorie of the New Zealand Herald
