Esther Maria Pakoti, 47, appeared in the Dunedin District Court yesterday after earlier pleading guilty to her sixth drink-driving offence.
The court heard that about 10pm on October 4, the defendant was driving in King Edward St, Dunedin.
A police patrol vehicle saw Pakoti, and stopped her because of her concerning driving.
An officer noted a 9-year-old child was in the vehicle and the defendant admitted she had been drinking.
Alcohol breath-testing procedures revealed Pakoti had a breath-alcohol level of 690mcg. The legal limit is 250mcg.
A sentence for aggravated drink-driving would usually include a mandatory disqualification for more than 12 months, but the defendant applied to serve a longer community-based sentence instead of being disqualified.
Counsel Rose Morton said her client needed to drive, as she was the sole caregiver for two school-aged children.
No public transport was available to get her children to and from school or extra-curricular activities, Ms Morton said.
She highlighted Pakoti’s relevant convictions were dated and she had no demerits in the past five years.
Police opposed the application, saying there were public safety issues which warranted a disqualification.
Judge Hermann Retzlaff granted the application and substituted the disqualification for an extra month of community detention, meaning Pakoti will be on a 6pm to 6am curfew for three months at her Gore home.
