A woman who was caught driving her children to school twice while drunk was sentenced to 150 hours community work, supervision for nine months and disqualification for a year in Christchurch District Court today.
Tracey Jane Cooper, 40, was caught two days in a row last September.
Defence counsel Brendan Callaghan said Cooper accepted her actions had put her children and other road users in danger and she was deeply ashamed.
Cooper had emigrated from England three years ago and had never been before the court in Britain or New Zealand, he said.
She had not drunk alcohol since the incidents and had gone through counselling at a women's alcohol rehabilitation programme.
She was doing voluntary work at Age Concern to make contacts outside the family.
Mr Callaghan said she had relied on alcohol because she suffered from depression.
Judge Gary MacAskill said the first time Cooper was caught she was three times the legal limit for drink-driving.
"Courts impose home detention for this level," he said.
The second time she was stopped her level was 695mcg of alcohol to a litre of breath. The legal limit is 400mcg.
He noted that she had taken steps to help herself and it was unlikely she would reoffend.
As well as her community work and disqualification, Cooper is to be assessed for alcohol and drug use as part of her sentence.
