In’gill drunk got to Balclutha

A DRIVE from Invercargill to Dunedin, snowcovered roads and a bottle of vodka was almost a recipe for disaster for one Southland motorist.

Mark Owen Crook (63) was seen by an ambulance officer staggering around near public toilets in Charles St, Balclutha. His car was parked nearby.

Crook, a specialist engineer, volunteered a blood test, which gave a level of 252mg per 100ml of blood — more than five times the legal limit.

‘‘You would not have been aware of where and what you were doing,’’ Judge Kevin Phillips said.

But somehow, Crook had made the drive that morning from Invercargill. He was on his way to Dunedin when he was arrested.

That would have been concerning enough on a clear day, Judge Phillips said.

‘‘It was a day where the road conditions were treacherous,’’ he said.

Crook told Probation before sentencing he realised by the time he got to Mataura he should not have been behind the wheel.

Yet he continued for another 75km. ‘‘Clearly you had totally abdicated your responsibilities. You knew how drunk you were, you knew the road conditions, and you drove on the main highway,’’ the judge said.

When police apprehended the defendant, they found an empty vodka bottle in his vehicle.

And it was not the first time he had been before before the courts for such offending.

Crook had drinkdriving convictions from 1995, 2001 and 2010.

His criminal history meant he had spent two months behind bars awaiting sentencing, which his counsel, Noel Rayner, said was an ‘‘eyeopener’’.

‘‘This has been a huge wakeup call for this defendant,’’ he said.

‘‘He says his drinking days are completely finished now.’’

Judge Phillips sentenced Crook to three months’ home detention and 120 hours’ community work.

He was banned from driving for 15 months and was ordered to pay $112 to cover the costs of the blood test.