Lawnmower service trip ends in 10th drink driving conviction

A decision to drop his lawnmower in for a service has proven costly for a Taranaki man, who is now banned from driving until 2019 and had his car confiscated to boot.

Terence Kaka Johnnie previously pleaded guilty to driving while disqualified and the conviction is his tenth for similar offending.

He was last convicted in August 2016.

Judge Chris Sygrove told the New Plymouth District Court the driving breach was picked up during a random police stop on September 29.

At 1.05pm, the 54-year-old was driving his Nissan motor vehicle on Devon St West and when stopped by police, routine checks found him to be banned.

He told officers he had been working at home in the morning and he decided to drop his lawnmower at the shop to get a service.

Lawyer Patrick Mooney said Johnnie had made positive steps towards addressing his offending.

He had completed a Te Ihu Waka programme through the Corrections Department, which focuses on tikanga Ma¯ ori and also been involved in a church run Man Up programme.

Mooney said while Johnnie’s recent conviction was his third since 2012, the other driving while disqualified charges were historic.

Johnnie was ordered to do 120 hours of community work and sentenced to six months’ community detention.

This means he will have to observe a daily night-time curfew from 7pm-6am at his New Plymouth address.

The defendant was disqualified from driving for one year and one day, but this didn’t begin until July 2018, meaning he will be off the road until mid 2019.

His car was also confiscated by the court.