An Alexandra woman has racked up her ninth drink-driving conviction, but avoided prison because it is her first offending in nearly 14 years.
Kathrine Margret Wallace, 59, was driving on a straight section of the Taieri Plain highway near Titri on July 5 when her car drifted left on to the verge, flipped and slid along the road on its roof before coming to a rest.
Wallace was taken by ambulance to Dunedin Hospital, where a blood specimen gave a result of 186mg, more than three times the legal limit.
Judge Dominic Flatley told Wallace "some would say you should go straight to prison".
When the defendant began weeping, he told her "you may cry now — imagine how you would feel if you’d killed someone".
There was "intense public interest" in such cases, because people wanted to know they were safe on the roads.
It was clear Wallace had an issue with alcohol, which would be an ongoing challenge for her.
Significant factors for sentencing were that she was in fulltime employment, and it was her first conviction for nearly 14 years, Judge Flatley said.
He imposed six months’ community detention, 180 hours’ community work and 15 months’ intensive supervision to enable intervention for her alcohol issues.
After a 28-day stand-down, she can apply for an alcohol interlock licence.
