A New Zealand man who gave his car keys to a seven-year-old boy to drive him home after getting drunk has been jailed for 10 months.
Local police pulled over Tehere Maihi Maaka’s BMW around 500 metres away from his house after they spotted the child sitting incredibly close to the steering wheel. The grandfather, for whom this was a fourth drunk driving conviction in nine years, had been helping the child steer from the passenger seat. However, in his intoxicated state he could not prevent the vehicle from colliding with a kerb.
He was breath tested at the scene and found to be three times over the legal drink-drive limit.
The Waikato Times reported that court documents showed Maaka had "intentionally engaged in conduct which was a major departure from the standard of care to be expected of a reasonable person."
The 49-year-old pleaded guilty to dangerous driving, driving with excess breath alcohol and allowing the child to drive on the public road in January this year.
Judge Christopher Field of Auckland District Court had this to say when passing sentence: "You placed a child at serious risk, you're a recidivist drink-driver and driving under the circumstances caused enormous concern for the community at large."
In addition to his custodial sentence, Maaka was banned from driving indefinitely. He will also be subjected to a zero-tolerance alcohol limit for three years when he is allowed back behind the wheel.
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