Stuart Clement Wright faces Launceston Court for serial drink driving offences

Stuart Clement Wright, 62, pleaded guilty to one count of driving a motor vehicle while exceeding the prescribed alcohol limit at the Launceston Magistrates Court on September 26.

Police told the court Wright was pulled over at about 11.20am on July 4, 2023, at Weld Street, Beaconsfield, for a roadside breath test.

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A positive reading meant Wright was taken to Exeter Police Station for further testing, which returned a blood alcohol reading of 0.081.

At the time, Wright told officers he had consumed "several beers the night before".

According to defence counsel James Kitto, these were 10 375ml cans of Boag's Draught beer, which he began drinking "around tea time" - about 6pm - the night before and finished at midnight.

Mr Kitto said Wright had previously been in a motorcycle accident which cost him part of a leg and left him with depression.

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The defence said Wright had been going through a bout of depression before the offence - which was why he had been drinking - and he had been driving to get his car repaired at Beaconsfield.

Mr Kitto said although Wright made a "poor decision to drive" with alcohol in his system, he had reason to believe enough time had elapsed between drinking and getting behind the wheel.

"But for that appointment, he would have stayed home," he said.

"He should have waited longer, but unfortunately he didn't."

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Magistrate Simon Brown said with four prior drink driving convictions recorded in the past 23 years, Wright was a "persistent offender".

"Your record is very poor, characterised by very high readings," Mr Brown said.

"It shows a habitual breaching of legislation."

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Wright was convicted of drunk driving in 2000, 2014 and 2019 after returning blood alcohol readings of 0.268, 0.164 and 0.228, respectively.

Wright was sentenced to three months imprisonment, wholly suspended for 18 months.

Mr Brown said the suspended sentence would "hang over Wright's head" and was designed to "act as a spur" to change his behaviour.

Wright was also disqualified from driving for 15 months, and Mr Brown cautioned that any similar offences would land him in jail.

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