A Queenstown builder was caught drink-driving twice in five days — the second time on the Remarkables skifield access road in a vehicle without number plates.
At Sands’ sentencing in the Queenstown District Court yesterday, prosecuting Sergeant Ian Collin said Sands was stopped in the resort’s town centre five days before that incident and breath-tested after showing signs of drinking.
He was suspended from driving for 28 days and a subsequent blood test gave a result of 98mg, almost twice the legal limit.
Police also found the vehicle’s registration, entered under the defendant’s father, had been unpaid for two years.
Five days later, staff at the Remarkables skifield called police to report a group of 20 to 30 males were drinking in the car park.
Two visitors whose vehicles were parked near the group had complained to staff after finding their vehicles had been damaged. One sustained substantial damage to its bonnet.
Because of the group’s behaviour and intoxication, staff continued watching the men, who included the defendant, to ensure no other vehicles were damaged, and Sands was seen driving down the access road about 4.30pm.
When police stopped his vehicle at the entrance to the skifield, he was seen jumping into a back seat.
A breath-test gave a result of 569mcg.
He claimed he was driving because a designated sober driver had suffered a concussion injury on the skifield.
Police impounded the vehicle because it had no number plates.
Judge Russell Walker said it was concerning Sands had drunk and drove twice in five days, especially having been convicted of drink-driving only 12 months previously.
Doing so on a skifield road was "particularly dangerous".
However, he gave the defendant credit for completing The Right Track programme, a course aimed at changing the attitudes of young or recidivist driving offenders.
He had read the speech Sands had given at the programme’s graduation ceremony, which indicated he had gained some insight into his actions.
Judge Walker sentenced Sands to two months’ community detention and disqualified him from driving for 28 days, after which he can apply for an alcohol interlock licence.
He must pay medical and analyst fees of $111.25, and undergo nine months’ supervision.
