Hunting, fishing guide granted discharge on drinkdriving

A FORMER Sydney restaurateur turned hunting and fishing guide has been granted a discharge without conviction on a charge of drinkdriving.

Mario Kon Kalpou (33), of Queenstown, recorded a breathalcohol level of 609mcg after he was stopped by police on Lake Esplanade about 2.30am on November 15 last year.

He told police he was driving to his Ben Lomond home because a taxi driver had refused him a ride.

Addressing Judge Mark Callaghan in the Queenstown District Court yesterday, Kalpou’s counsel, Tanya Surrey, said he had started a business running hunting and fishing trips in Otago and Southland.

He was applying for a New Zealand firearms licence, and a conviction ‘‘would not be helpful’’.

He was also the presenter of a television series, Wild Untamed Foods, which had been filmed in Australia and New Zealand but had yet to be screened.

He planned to film a second series in North America later this year, and a conviction could stop him from entering Canada.

It could also prevent him entering New Zealand, because he was an Australian national and a border control officer could use their discretion to bar him.

Judge Callaghan said a drinkdriving conviction would not affect Kalpou’s application for a firearms licence, as police would be aware of the matter, either way. It was also highly unlikely to prevent him from entering New Zealand.

However, the defendant had no previous convictions, had expressed remorse, and evidence had been provided that he was the ‘‘driving force’’ behind the planned television production in North America, and that a conviction could jeopardise that.

He disqualified Kalpou from driving for six months, and ordered him to make a $750 donation to the Educate Trust.