Car pooler gets community work

The car Anne Marie Patelesio was driving, which ended up in this covered pool in Arrowtown. Inset: Anne Marie Patelesio.

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A 20-year-old drink-driver who splashed her vehicle into an Arrowtown backyard swimming pool was yesterday sentenced to 250 hours' community work.

Anne Marie Patelesio appeared before Judge Kevin Phillips in the Queenstown District Court yesterday after earlier admitting dangerous driving and driving with an excess blood alcohol level of 200mg.

The court was told it was Patelesio's second drink-driving conviction.

Judge Phillips said Patelesio was lucky to escape the "accident".

"I use the word accident in inverted commas because it was waiting to happen from the moment you got in the car."

Patelesio had been drinking with friends in Arrowtown on July 26 at a bar and then someone's house, he said. About 3am, she drove away in a friend's vehicle and sped through the town drunk at about 80kmh.

It was dark, there was poor street lighting and driving conditions were wintry, the court was told.

The vehicle hit a traffic island at the intersection of Bedford and Buckingham streets, went through a wooden fence and struck a stone barbecue, which sent it flying.

The car spun around in the air and dropped into the pool.

Judge Phillips said it was "unbelievable" Patelesio had driven drunk, having been convicted for driving with an excess breath alcohol level of 479mcg in November, 2005.

In mitigation, defence lawyer Dale Lloyd said Patelesio had pro-actively sought drug and alcohol counselling before appearing in court.

For drink-driving, Patelesio was ordered to complete 250 hours' community work, disqualified from driving for 12 months, placed on 12 months' supervision and ordered to undergo drug and alcohol counselling. For driving dangerously, she was ordered to complete 100 hours' community work and disqualified for six months, to be served concurrently.

Judge Phillips also ordered Patelesio to reappear on November 2 for reparation sentencing.

Ms Lloyd said she understood one of the victims, a friend of Patelesio's, had been paid $5000 to $10,000 to appear on the television show 20/20 – some of this money covered reparation.

But Judge Phillips questioned whether that victim had been given priority over the owner of the property that was damaged in the incident.

Insufficient consideration had been given to reimbursing State Insurance, which covered the property, he said.

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