Tuesday, April 13, 2010

Drunk driver fled on mate's advice

A drunk driver who was stopped by police after swerving into oncoming traffic on State Highway 6 fled from police because her friend told her to.

"That's what you do for your mates," she told police once she was finally stopped, police prosecutor Sergeant Steve Frost said in the Blenheim District Court yesterday.

Lucy Kilmore, 20, a solo mother of Nelson, was charged with driving in a dangerous manner, driving with an excess blood-alcohol level of 168mg of alcohol per 100ml of blood (the legal limit is 80mg) and failing to remain stopped for police.

Judge John Walker described her as "a major road accident just waiting to happen".

Mr Frost said that on March 14, Kilmore was driving on State Highway 6 between Havelock and Blenheim with two friends in the car. He said she was on restricted licence.

Other motorists saw Kilmore's car weaving across the road into the wrong lane, including over the Wairau River bridge, and alerted police.

When police tried to pull her over, she stopped on a corner, causing another car to swerve.

Police told Kilmore to stop in a safer spot, so she drove to High St in Renwick, where police pulled her over again. Mr Frost said the back-seat passenger got out to talk to police and Kilmore sped off. Stopping to let her front-seat passenger out, Kilmore continued through Renwick until police pulled her over at the rugby club. Mr Frost said she then refused to unlock her door.

Judge Walker said Kilmore created a serious danger for many road users and it was fortunate drivers managed to avoid crashing into her.

"You were a major road accident just waiting to happen."

Kilmore was sentenced to 80 hours' community work, disqualified from driving for 12 months, given six months' supervision and ordered to pay $333 in medical costs for her blood-alcohol test and analysis.

Other drunk drivers in the Blenheim District Court yesterday: Kasarah Smith, 18, a single mother of Blenheim, excess breath-alcohol (eba) level 214mcg (the legal limit for drivers aged under 20 is 150mcg per litre of breath), fined $200 plus $130 court costs, disqualified for three months.Shiralee June McKoy, a single mother of Renwick, 19, eba 641, fined $400 plus $130 court costs, disqualified for six months.Brian Dayton Thiel, mechanic and brewery director, 40, eba 791mcg (legal limit 400mcg), fined $1000 plus $130 court costs, disqualified for nine months.Jana Lee Lorna Neilson, 19, a secretary of Blenheim, eba 784mcg, sentenced to 60 hours of community work, disqualified for nine months.Bejay Bampton, 22, a builder of Picton, eba 837mcg, fined $800 plus $130 court costs, disqualified for nine months.Wayne Tokomaru Koia, 35, a mussel opener of Grovetown, blood alcohol 103mg (legal limit 80mg), sentenced to 60 hours' community work, disqualified for 12 months, ordered to pay $317.60 for blood-alcohol test and analysis.

The Marlborough Express
Last updated 12:03 13/04/2010


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