A man has been convicted after crashing his car in front of police at an intersection in Orange while high-range drink-driving with a reading that was four times the legal limit.
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Shannon Peckham, 31, of Jilba Street, was driving a Mitsubishi Triton four-wheel-drive along Peisley Street at 11.30pm on March 20, and stopped at a read light at the Summer Street intersection.
However, Peckham then continued through the intersection and hit a Holden Commodore.
Peckham's car came to a complete stop against a traffic police on the median strip on the northern side of Summer Street.
Police were behind his vehicle and saw the entire incident.
Peckham was breath tested and returned a positive reading so he was arrested and taken to Orange Police Station for a breath analysis.
On analysis he returned a reading of 0.203.
Peckham appeared for sentencing before magistrate Elizabeth Ellis in Orange Local Court on Monday.
It was the first time Peckham had been caught drink-driving and he had no passengers in the vehicle.
Solicitor Ellen McCutcheon said he had completed the Magistrate's Early Referral into Treatment Program and he resumed full-time work as a shearer last week.
"He has good prospects of rehabilitation, he's regained employment," she said.
"His [alcohol] consumption is now under control."
Ms Ellis fined him $800 for high-range drink-driving and she disqualified him from driving for seven months and ordered him to have an interlock device fitted to his car to detect any alcohol on his breath for 24 months.
Peckham's driver's licence was suspended on the day of the offence so Ms Ellis back-dated the driving disqualification meaning he can reapply for his driver's licence on October 20.
"Your record is not the worst in the world, I accept that," Ms Ellis said.
"That's what's keeping you away from an alternative to jail, the reading is terrible."
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