‘Good young man’ crashed car while over liquor limit

A 20-year-old who drank two bottles of wine at a family dinner later crashed his ‘‘high-powered’’ Mercedes-Benz into an inner-city fence and fled the scene.

Finn Andrew Shaw was driving his vehicle in Egmont St in New Plymouth about 9.30pm on March 25, New Plymouth District Court was told.

Shaw, who was on a restricted driver’s licence and carrying unauthorised passengers, accelerated heavily as he turned on to King St, causing the car to lose traction.

He then lost control of the vehicle and ploughed through a New Plymouth District Council-owned fence.

The police summary of facts said Shaw drove off but was located by police several minutes later while driving along Devon St West.

A blood test showed a result of 181 milligrams of alcohol per 100 millilitres of blood.

The blood-alcohol limit for drivers aged

20 years and over is 50mg of alcohol per

100ml of blood.

Shaw, an apprentice electrician, told police ‘‘he did not know what to do’’ and so left the scene.

He offered no explanation for driving while intoxicated and admitted to having consumed two bottles of wine.

In court, defence lawyer Susan Hurley said Shaw had endured a long day before he made the decision to get behind the wheel.

‘‘He was not concentrating and he had been to a family dinner where he had been drinking.’’

Hurley tendered a letter written by Shaw to Judge Tony Greig, in which he expressed how impressed he was with the police officer who dealt with him.

Judge Greig said it was a ‘‘very good letter’’ and accepted it as ‘‘entirely sincere’’.

‘‘Your letter indicates you are a good young man – we all do stupid things when we are young, I hope this is your only one.’’

Judge Greig asked if Shaw’s ‘‘Merc was high-powered’’, to which Shaw advised it was.

Shaw had got off lightly, in terms of the harm he could have inflicted on himself and others, Judge Greig said.

‘‘You were drunk that night. You were over twice the legal limit and you were driving a high-powered vehicle which, almost inevitably, you lost control of.’’

On admitted charges of careless driving and driving with excess blood-alcohol, Judge Greig disqualified Shaw from driving for 28 days and ordered him to apply for an interlock licence.

Shaw was also fined $500 and ordered to pay reparation of $191.99 for medical fees and $825.99 to the New Plymouth District Council for the fence.

‘‘I am fairly confident I won’t see you again,’’ Judge Greig told Shaw, whose father supported him in court.