Driver's alcohol level an ‘N.Z. record'

Press, 10 April 1980, Page 1

Driver's alcohol level an ‘N.Z. record'

PA Dunedin A Dunedin man, aged 27, who was shown to have the highest excessive breath alcohol level in New Zealand, was disqualified from holding a driver’s licence for five years when he appeared for sentence in the District Court at Dunedin yesterday. Appearing before Judge J. D. Murray for sentence on two charges of driving with an excess breath alcohol level was Ronald Anthony Webb, a sickness beneficiary. A breath test taken from Webb in November, 1973, recorded a level of 2450 micrograms of alcohol to a litre of breath.

Webb had pleaded guilty to both charges when he appeared in court in January.

The senior chief traffic officer at Dunedin (Mr H.. B. Gore) said anyone recording a level as high as 2450 should, in theory, have died. Counsel for Webb (Mr A. R. Mackersey) told the court that Webb had had a drinking problem for a number of years and had been remanded until this month for sentence so that he could complete a course for alcoholics at Eanmer Springs.

Mr Mackersey "aid yesterday that Webb had responded well to • the treatment, he had acknowledged he had a problem, had been prepared to do something about it, The Judge said that as Webb had taken treatment for alcoholism he would only enforce disqualification. On the lesser of the two charges, Webb was disqualified from holding a driver’s licence for two years; on the major charge he was disqualified from driving for three years at the expiry of the first term.