A MAN has spoken of his embarrassment after a night on the wine carried over into an early-morning drink-driving reading, a court has heard.
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David Keith Hammond, 66, of Saint Anthony's Creek Road, Glanmire pleaded guilty in Bathurst Local Court on January 17, 2024 to low range PCA.
Court documents state Hammond was driving a Mitsubishi Pajero west along Sydney Road in Kelso around 9.20am on December 23, 2023 when he was stopped by an RBT.
Hammond was asked for his licence before he was tested for alcohol.
After giving a positive reading, Hammond was arrested and taken to Bathurst Police Station.
The court heard that while Hammond was in police custody, he gave a second positive reading for alcohol of 0.055.
Hammond told police he had between five to six glasses of red wine over dinner the night before, and said he didn't feel drunk while driving.
Sentence
A self-represented Hammond said in open court that he was "quite embarrassed" by the charge, and conceded that he "should've known better".
"I'm sincerely sorry, my apologies to the court and community," Hammond said.
"I had no idea I still had alcohol in my system."
Magistrate Lisa Stapleton found it "quite amazing" Hammond had a low range reading about 10 hours after his last drink, with food and sleep in between.
"You should have a good, hard look at yourself," Ms Stapleton said.
Hammond was placed on a conditional release order (without conviction) for 12 months.
