An eight-time drink-driver who escaped police in a high-speed chase was found at his home after getting a taxi back there.
Bijay Jagdish Prasad (27) had recently finished a 17-month jail stint for similar offending, the Dunedin District Court heard yesterday.
At his sentencing for that, Judge Michael Turner had warned the defendant he would end up following his brother, who died as a result of alcohol abuse, to an early grave if he continued.
But the warning went unheeded.
At 8.20am on November 12, police saw Prasad driving a silver Mercedes-Benz in Kirkcaldy St.
He was serving an indefinite driving ban at the time.
When they tried to pull the defendant over, he sped away from them through the streets of South Dunedin, as fast as 80kmh through residential areas.
When confronted by a queue of cars at a red light in Macandrew Rd, Prasad veered on to the wrong side of the road and drove around them.
Later, at the intersection of Portsmouth Dr and Midland St, he drove through a red light.
Once in central Dunedin, Prasad drove the wrong way along Castle St for several blocks at up to 70kmh.
Having shaken the pursuing officers with his reckless manoeuvring, the driver parked the car in a driveway and got a taxi home.
When police went to Prasad's home, they found him ''hiding in a bedroom'', the court heard.
What happened next, counsel Deborah Henderson said, was the most honest her client had ever been with police.
Prasad admitted being behind the wheel during the chase but said he had a sober driver before that point.
That man had dropped himself at home and the defendant then decided to drive the final 2km to his house, Ms Henderson said.
''As Mr Prasad was driving, he saw the police and panicked and made the impulsive decision to try to flee from them,'' she said.
In a letter to the court, the defendant said his previous jail terms had done little to rehabilitate him.
But Judge John Strettell said as a recidivist drink-driver, locking him up was also a chance to protect the community.
''You are a young-ish man still and on that episode of driving you're very fortunate to be here to face these charges and not seriously injured or deceased as a result of your actions,'' he said.
''It is equally fortunate no other drivers on the road were interfered with by your driving conduct which was grossly dangerous on many occasions.''
Prasad was jailed for 22 months and disqualified from driving for three years one month on charges of aggravated drink-driving, aggravated failing to stop, driving while disqualified and reckless driving.
His indefinite ban remained in place, the court heard.