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Stacy Squires/Stuff
Home detention was imposed on a Timaru man with a zero alcohol licence who was caught driving with a breath-alcohol reading of 1068mg. (File photo)
A Timaru driver on a zero-alcohol licence blew an “alarmingly high” level when stopped by police.
Tim Sebastian Ziegler said he was “driving to the petrol station” when stopped on Lough St, Timaru, at 10.30pm on May 19, 2023, the Timaru District Court heard on Thursday.
The 34-year-old’s breath-alcohol level was 1068 micrograms of blood per litre of the breath.
Ziegler’s lawyer Paul Norcross, said this was “far from his first appearance for this type of offending” and conceded the starting sentencing point was “one of imprisonment”.
Before Thursday’s sentencing, Ziegler’s most recent conviction was in February 2020 for driving with excess breath alcohol (third and subsequent) and he was issued with a Zero Alcohol Licence on April 1, 2021.
Norcross said a final sentence of home detention would allow his client to look for work as he has been out of work because of these charges but has a history being in paid work.
“He knows once and for all he needs to do something about this,” Norcross said.
Judge Campbell Savage told Ziegler he was “at risk of losing everything”, as he revealed it was his seventh drink-driving related conviction.
“That level is exceedingly high,” Judge Savage said.
“It wasn’t that long ago you had two or more of these in close succession.”
Judge Savage said the appropriate sentence was 16 months jail for the charges of driving with excess breath alcohol (third or subsequent) and driving contrary to a zero-alcohol licence.
When Judge Savage asked Ziegler if he wanted to go to prison, the defendant replied “no”.
Judge Savage commuted the sentence to six months home detention.
Ziegler was also disqualified from driving for 28 days, ordered to have an alcohol interlock licence and attend an alcohol assessment centre before being released from that licence and qualify for a zero alcohol licence.
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