Drinkdrive charges accrue

IT took Kenneth David Mathieson 20 years to get his second drinkdriving conviction, but just hours to chalk up his third.

The 71yearold appeared before the Dunedin District Court yesterday where he pleaded to two excessbreathalcohol charges and one of driving while suspended.

‘‘Obviously, he has an issue with alcohol,’’ Judge Dominic Flatley said.

But the last time Mathieson had been on police’s radar for such offending was 1998, the court heard.

Things spectacularly declined on November 7 when the defendant drove to Clutha Views Lifecare resthome in Balclutha.

Police were called at 8.20pm by staff who said Mathieson was being ‘‘disruptive’’ and they wanted him removed.

They were so concerned they had taken his keys.

At the Balclutha police station, Mathieson blew a reading of 1064mcg — more than four times the legal limit. He said he had been at the home to visit a friend and had been drinking cider earlier that day. Because he was so drunk, police suspended Mathieson for 28 days.

Within 24 hours he was behind the wheel again. And again he was inebriated.

At 5pm the next day, police spotted his Toyota on Pearson Lane. This time Mathieson’s breath level was 1025, though Judge Flatley accepted it may have been a case of the man ‘‘topping up’’.

‘‘I suppose it’s fair to say some of the alcohol in your system on the 7th was there on the 8th,’’ he said.

He referenced a concerning drugandalcohol report which said Mathieson potentially had cognitive impairment because of years of excessive drinking.

The defendant drank to ‘‘hazardous levels’’, the report said, and might be genetically predisposed to such behaviour.

The judge told the man to sort his drinking out.

‘‘That’s one of the reasons I’ve joined Alcoholics Anonymous,’’ Mathieson said.

‘‘I’ve not completely cut out smoking but I’m on my way.’’

Judge Flatley replied: ‘‘I won’t say anything about that because you’re not charged with smoking.’’

Mathieson, who said he had been doing voluntary work at the Salvation Army, was sentenced to 200 hours’ community work and 12 months’ supervision.

He was banned from driving indefinitely.

‘‘Any further conviction of this kind and I can almost guarantee you go to prison,’’ the judge said.