A DRIVER so drunk police had trouble getting an alcohol reading has been ordered to do community work after eventually recording more than six times the legal limit at .316.
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Haydn James Blennerhassett, 47, of Wall Street, Camperdown, guilty in the Warrnambool Magistrates Court to driving under the influence of alcohol and drink driving.
Magistrate Cynthia Toose said it one of the highest alcohol readings she had seen.
She said a medical report outlined what triggered Blennerhassett's binge drinking.
The magistrate said she wouldn't imprison the defendant but he needed to address his issues through a community corrections order.
Blennerhassett was palced on a 12-month CCO with conditions he do 200 hours of community work and undertake assessment, treatment, rehabilitation and programs in relation to alcohol abuse and mental health issues.
He was banned from driving for four years.
"It's up to you to finally do something about your issues. You could have seriously injured of killed another road user," Ms Toose told Blennerhassett.
Police said that on the afternoon of November 16 last year Blennerhassett was driving a silver Camry along the Daylesford-Trentham Road towards Trentham, which is 70 kilometres north-east of Ballarat.
Two witnesses watched him driving for 20 minutes, noting he was extremely erratic and swerving wildly from the extreme left-hand side of the road into oncoming traffic.
The witnesses tried to get Blennerhassett to stop but he refused.
Blennerhassett then crossed double white lines into oncoming traffic and missed collisions with about 10 cars only because other drivers took evasive action.
Two drivers actually stopped their cars on the side of the road.
Blennerhassett finished up stopping in the middle of the T-intersection of the Daylesford-Trentham Road with the Trentham Falls Road.
He got out of his car with a 700ml bottle of Johnny Walker whisky, which he placed on the top of his car's roof.
The witnesses took his keys.
Officers found Blennerhassett slumped in the driver's seat, he had difficultly lifting his head, drool was coming from his mouth and he had appeared to have vomited on himself.
He was unable to get out of his car without assistance and had to be helped into a police vehicle.
Blennerhassett also had great difficulty keeping his pants up.
His preliminary breath test reading said: "out of range".
He was taken back to the Daylesford police station and his first reading there said: "blowing not allowed".
A reading later recorded .316.
Because of two prior drink driving offences Blennerhassett had a zero alcohol licence condition and he was that drunk police took him to hospital.
He initially denied drinking alcohol but then broke down crying, saying: "I'm stuffed".
The magistrate said it was Blennerhassett's third drink driving offence and the intersection where Blennerhassett stopped his car was extremely dangerous.