A Dunedin man’s 10th drink-driving conviction has landed him behind bars for 18 months.
Antony Mark Burdon (46) was also jailed on his ninth drink-driving conviction in 2015, for a year.
When he was released he applied for and was granted a zero-alcohol licence, allowing him to drive as long as he was completely free of alcohol.
It was not long before Burdonbreached that condition.At 8.20am on May 27, police clocked him driving north near Waikouaiti at 114kmh.
When they breathalysed him, he returned a reading of 631mcg — more than twice the legal limit.
His counsel, Kate Logan, told the court her client had finished work the previous evening and driven to a friend’s house in Palmerston for a drinking session.
Burdon expected to leave around noon the next day but "had to leave earlier than expected when his friend had an engagement arise".
"He took a risk that he now regrets and made the poor decision to drive," Ms Logan said.
Despite his myriad previous convictions, Burdon had never considered himself a recidivist, she told the court.
"He saw each offence as a discrete event," Ms Logan said.
That stance had since changed.
"This is a man who recognises he does need to change his life and he is taking steps to do so," she said.
But Judge Dominic Flatley was not convinced by the supposed turnaround.
"You have had plenty of opportunities to deal with these issues and you have not," he said.
"Instead you have repeatedly offended and come back before the court."
Burdon’s first conviction for drink-driving came in 1989, the court heard.
He had been jailed twice in 2010 and then again in 2015 for identical offences.
"You are a recidivist drunk driver," the judge said.
"You completely disregard the law and the sentences of this court."
He questioned the assertion the defendant was remorseful for his latest indiscretion.
"That’s just not clear to me at all. It’s easy to say you’re remorseful now, Mr Burdon, but if you were truly remorseful, you would not be in this position. You would have learned from the many times you’d been before the court and in prison," Judge Flatley said.
Burdon was assessed by Probation as being at a high risk of reoffending and presenting a high risk of harm to others.
The public would at least be safer while the defendant was locked up, the judge said.
As well as the prison term, Burdon was banned from driving for 20 months.
Once that period has lapsed he will be permitted to apply for a zero-alcohol licence again.
