Gerald Anthony Smith, of Larras Lee, recorded a high-range drink driving result of 0.160 after he was stopped by police on Euchareena Road on Boxing Day.

According to police facts, he had been driving a 1994 Toyota Camry sedan at 3.19pm when police stopped him near the intersection of Betts Street and Euchareena Road as he was heading home.

Smith told police he’d had eight schooners of full-strength beer at a Molong pub between 11.30am and 3pm. 

On Monday, magistrate David Day placed Smith on a 12-month good-behaviour bond, he disqualified Smith’s driver’s licence for six-months and he placed him on a mandatory 24-month interlock period.

The interlock period will come into effect after the driving disqualification is finished and will mean Smith will have to have a breathalyser device installed in his car, which he will have to blow into for the engine to start.

The court heard that Smith lived about 25 kilometres from Molong, was a hard-working man who had not been charged with a driving offence since 1995 when he was caught driving with an expired driver’s licence and not wearing a seat belt. 

“You could have been in an accident, you are lucky you weren’t,” Mr Day said.