Ex-AB’s drink-drive lapse
Weepu says he has let himself and his family down
It was like any other graveyard shift for the staff at McDonald’s Petone on Sunday, July 15. Except that a national sporting hero was slumped over his steering wheel in their drive-thru while waiting for his 3am meal.
Former All Black Piri Weepu had taken his partner’s Holden on a late night — or early morning — trip to the fast food restaurant on Victoria St in search of something to eat.
But after ordering at the drive-thru window at about 2.49am, Weepu fell asleep at the wheel of the car.
Instead of waking up to a Big Mac, Weepu found himself face to face with a breathalyser.
A McDonald’s spokesman said staff at the Petone restaurant found a customer asleep in the drive-thru.
“They followed protocol and called the police, and have assisted with the investigation.”
It’s not known what the 34-year-old was doing or how much he drank that evening before he made the decision to drive drunk, but when police arrived he gave a breath alcohol reading above 400mcg. The legal limit is 250mcg.
Police brought Weepu back to the Lower Hutt station to carry out an evidential breath test, where he gave a reading of 600mcg — more than twice the legal limit.
The summary of facts does little to explain what caused the beloved rugby star to get behind the wheel after drinking.
“In explanation, the defendant stated that ‘I was hungry and wanted to get food,”’ it said.
The former halfback, who became a national hero during the All Blacks’ 2011 World Cup-winning campaign, was charged with driving with excess breath alcohol. He appeared in the Hutt Valley District Court yesterday, where he was called, convicted, and sentenced. Weepu pleaded guilty and was fined $600, $130 courts costs, and disqualified from driving for six months.
Outside court, he was reluctant to speak to the Herald, but when pressed on whether he had anything he wanted to say to his fans, Weepu said he was sorry for what he’d done and that he wanted to move on from it.
“I think I’ve let myself and my family down, so just got to make sure that I get back on track,” he said.
Following his court appearance, Weepu recorded a video of himself, telling Instagram and Twitter followers that he was “taking it on the chin” and that what he did was “dumb and wrong. I’m extremely embarrassed and sorry to my family, my friends, and my community.”
Weepu currently hosts a show about hunting and gathering called Piri’s Tiki Tour which screens on Ma¯ori Television.