Driving offences keep court busy
A man who rode a dirt bike through the city at speed and a drink-driver five times over the legal limit are among several drivers sentenced this week.
Of the 10 people scheduled for sentencing at Nelson District Court on Tuesday afternoon, seven involved driving offences.
Sloan Heaford, who appeared via audiovisual link, was caught drink-driving on October 17 in Motueka. A blood test returned a result of 257mg per 100ml of blood, more than five times the legal limit, “atrociously high”, his lawyer Rob Ord acknowledged.
"There’s nothing remarkable about the facts, save for the fact you were grossly affected by alcohol," Judge Tony Zohrab told Heaford.
Heaford was also sentenced for family violence charges, which earned him 17 months’ imprisonment. Heaford was disqualified from driving for nine months, and after that he would be subject to a three-year zero alcohol licence.
Tiweka Raroa was sentenced for speeding and driving while disqualified. His charges related to driving a motorcycle in the city centre, and his lawyer, Kyle Simonsen, told the judge the vehicle was a dirt bike, which Raroa had been returning it to its owner.
Che Sewell-Glasier, due to be sentenced on dangerous driving, driving under the influence of drugs and a few deception matters, was a no-show. His lawyer relayed a message that he’d been struck down by a “gastro bug”.
However, Judge Zohrab noted that Sewell-Glasier hadn’t complied with the sentencing process, and issued a warrant for his arrest.
Vine Ikimaka Finele presented a quandary for the judge. He had repeatedly been charged with driving while disqualified, a cycle that prevented him from obtaining his licence. He worked rurally, and needed a vehicle to get to work, his lawyer Steven Zindel explained.
“Disqualification sets him up to fail,” Zindel said.
He’d had opportunities to reinstate his licence, but failed to take them, which had landed him in court again, the lawyer said.
“Forgive me if I sound frustrated, but we have tried to help you previously,” the judge said. “Surely within four years you could get your licence sorted out?”
To break the “rollercoaster cycle” of disqualification, Zohrab delayed the sentencing until April. If Finele returned to court with a full licence, the judge would be able to impose a community-based sentence instead of disqualification, he said.