Community work sentence avoided
A DUNEDIN City Council engineer has avoided a hefty sentence of community work after injuring his back at the gym.
Kieran James Trainor (30) was originally sentenced to 350 hours’ community work when he came before the Dunedin District Court last year following a drunken car crash after which police eventually found him tucked up in bed.
But after only completing about 20% of the community work sentence, the defendant was back in court asking for the judge’s ruling to be reviewed.
He first appeared earlier this week but Judge Dominic Flatley sent him away to get more information about his back injury.
Yesterday, Trainor returned with the required documents and the judge agreed to change his sentence because of his physical limitations.
However, Judge Flatley noted it was ‘‘quite interesting’’ the injury had been sustained while at the gym.
Trainor’s community work was replaced with four months’ community detention, which will result in him being on curfew at an Opoho address between 7pm and 6am.
The strange circumstances which led to his arrest were heard at his original sentencing in November last year.
The victims had been driving downhill in Opoho Rd on August 12 and as they rounded a righthand bend, found Trainor heading straight for them.
The driver swerved left but the defendant ploughed into the rear right of their car. Trainor did not stop.
Police tracked him down that night and found him in bed.
The defendant later told probation he had no memory of leaving his friends that night or driving.
The court heard that before the boozy session, he had left his car somewhere safe and had planned to pick it up the following day.
Trainor was convicted of drinkdriving, dangerous driving and failing to stop at the scene of an accident.
As well as the communitywork hours, he was sentenced to 12 months’ intensive supervision and banned from driving for 15 months.