A 42-year-old man who 'hot wired” his alcohol interlock-installed vehicle has claimed, when caught driving at nearly five times the legal alcohol limit, that he had travelled about 1400km to see his dog.

When Alexander John Sinclair was apprehended in Katikati in Bay of Plenty on November 24, 2022, he told police 'he drove from Wānaka to see his dog”, the Timaru District Court heard on Tuesday.

Sinclair was stopped by police following a complaint about his driving on State Highway 2, near Katikati, from a member of the public.

'The defendant was tailgating the informant through road works and overtook her vehicle dangerously into oncoming traffic,” police prosecutor Dave Ellis said, reading from the summary of facts.

Sinclair, who appeared in court via an audiovisual link from prison, was eventually located by police alongside his vehicle in a supermarket car park.

'It was discovered that the defendant hot wired his vehicle to start it,” Ellis said.

'The alcohol interlock device was found unplugged in the glove box of the vehicle.”

Ellis said while breath test procedures were commenced, Sinclair elected a blood sample.

Analysis of his blood alcohol level came back as 230 milligrams, plus or minus 12mg, of alcohol per 100 millilitres of blood. The legal limit for drivers over 20 is 50mg per 100ml.

Sinclair's lawyer, Tiffany McRae, told Judge Bruce Davidson that her client had been in custody since April 28, and it was his ninth driving offence involving alcohol.

Sinclair pleaded guilty on Tuesday to three charges: driving with excess blood alcohol, driving in breach of an alcohol interlock licence and failing to answer bail in the Tauranga District Court on February 9.

Judge Davidson convicted Sinclair on all charges and remanded him in custody for drug and alcohol assessments and sentencing in Timaru on August 15.

Police are also seeking a cost recovery court order for medical expenses and fees incurred obtaining and analysing the blood sample of $221.99, which is made up of $111.99 for alcohol analysis and $110 for medical expenses.

-Doug Sail/Stuff.