It takes hours for the body to process alcohol - a biology lesson several drink-drivers have learnt the hard way.
Three Palmerston North people appeared for sentencing before Judge Les Atkins in the Palmerston North District Court yesterday after mistakenly thinking they were sober enough to drive.
Rossana Paola Machuca was stopped at 3.30am on January 24 by police on Fitzherbert Ave, Palmerston North. She recorded a breath-alcohol reading of 443 micrograms per litre of breath. The limit is 250mcg.
This was the 43-year-old's first appearance before the court. Her lawyer, Mark Alderdice, said she had been at a function and after not drinking for about 90 minutes had wrongly thought she was sober enough to drive home.
Atkins said it took a significant period of time for the body to process alcohol. He issued Machuca with a $450 fine and disqualified her from driving for six months.
Dennis Tureti Maxwell had a similar story.
On November 7 he was pulled over by police on Havelock Ave, Palmerston North, about 6.30pm, after attending a barbecue.
He recorded a breath-alcohol reading of 534mcg.
Defence lawyer Fergus Steedman said that Maxwell had drunk a lot, but also eaten a lot and wanting to get home to his family he had decided that he was OK to drive.
Steedman said Maxwell would get a daily reminder of the foolishness of that decision as he worked in Levin and lived in Palmerston North. While he could get a lift to work in the morning he would have to ride his bicycle home at the end of each day.
The conviction was Maxwell's third for drink-driving, though it had been 19 years since his previous one.
Atkins gave Maxwell 40 hours of community work and disqualified him from driving for a year.
Dorothy Lanfear, 51, recorded a breath-alcohol reading of 529 after being pulled over by police on Botanical Rd in late December. She had two previous drink-driving convictions from the 1990s.
Defence lawyer Daniel Flinn said she had made an error of judgment about whether she was too drunk to drive.
She received 40 hours' community work, nine months' supervision and was disqualified from driving for 12 months.
Three Palmerston North people appeared for sentencing before Judge Les Atkins in the Palmerston North District Court yesterday after mistakenly thinking they were sober enough to drive.
Rossana Paola Machuca was stopped at 3.30am on January 24 by police on Fitzherbert Ave, Palmerston North. She recorded a breath-alcohol reading of 443 micrograms per litre of breath. The limit is 250mcg.
This was the 43-year-old's first appearance before the court. Her lawyer, Mark Alderdice, said she had been at a function and after not drinking for about 90 minutes had wrongly thought she was sober enough to drive home.
Atkins said it took a significant period of time for the body to process alcohol. He issued Machuca with a $450 fine and disqualified her from driving for six months.
Dennis Tureti Maxwell had a similar story.
On November 7 he was pulled over by police on Havelock Ave, Palmerston North, about 6.30pm, after attending a barbecue.
He recorded a breath-alcohol reading of 534mcg.
Defence lawyer Fergus Steedman said that Maxwell had drunk a lot, but also eaten a lot and wanting to get home to his family he had decided that he was OK to drive.
Steedman said Maxwell would get a daily reminder of the foolishness of that decision as he worked in Levin and lived in Palmerston North. While he could get a lift to work in the morning he would have to ride his bicycle home at the end of each day.
The conviction was Maxwell's third for drink-driving, though it had been 19 years since his previous one.
Atkins gave Maxwell 40 hours of community work and disqualified him from driving for a year.
Dorothy Lanfear, 51, recorded a breath-alcohol reading of 529 after being pulled over by police on Botanical Rd in late December. She had two previous drink-driving convictions from the 1990s.
Defence lawyer Daniel Flinn said she had made an error of judgment about whether she was too drunk to drive.
She received 40 hours' community work, nine months' supervision and was disqualified from driving for 12 months.
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