A judge has refused a request for "lenient" treatment by a Queenstown man caught drink-driving for the eighth time.
Police say Jason Peter Vaughan, 52, showed signs of alcohol consumption after he was stopped in Fernhill Rd on September 27 last year.
Despite telling police he had drunk only two cans of beer, his blood specimen gave a result of 95mg — nearly twice the legal limit.
Sentencing Vaughan in the Queenstown District Court yesterday, Judge Mark Williams said his previous drink-driving conviction was in 2015, but he had a "highly extensive history".
The defendant had been caught on a Friday about 6pm, when the roads would have been busy with people returning home from work, or heading into town for the evening, Judge Williams said.
"It would’ve been clear to you that you shouldn’t have been behind the wheel."
Counsel Tanya Surrey applied for the normal driving disqualification to be substituted with community work, along with community detention and supervision.
The defendant needed to drive for his work as a Gibstopper and painter, Ms Surrey said.
Although he could apply for a limited licence, which would allow him to drive for work, he would have to wait out the 28-day stand-down period.
Judge Williams said that would be lenient treatment.
"You don't want to go through the costs of making such an application.
"Effectively, you don't want a disqualification at all."
The defendant’s affidavit in support of his application was inadequate, he said.
It did not say what he had done to address what was "clearly an alcohol problem", nor did it provide information about his work.
He agreed with the police’s opposition to the application.
Vaughan posed a "real risk of public safety", and Parliament had intended for repeat drink-drivers to face the "inconvenience" of disqualification.
Noting Vaughan had served prison, home detention and community detention sentences for his previous offending, Judge Williams said the starting point was a term of 16 months’ imprisonment.
The defendant’s guilty plea reduced that to 12 months, which he converted to a final sentence of six months’ home detention.
"It won’t be easy for him, and will affect his employment, but that is the consequence of repeat drink-driving."
Vaughan is disqualified from driving for 12 months, but can apply for a limited licence after 28 days.
