Two people were disqualified from driving for 12 months after admitting to driving with excess breath alcohol during their appearances in the Criminal Court in Avarua on Thursday.

Buddy Papa Ruarau appeared before Justice of the Peace Vania Kenning. According to the summary of facts, read out in Court, the event occurred on July 30, 2022 shortly before 3am.

He was spotted driving a motorcycle without a helmet on a public road in the centre of town.

Police noticed he was driving erratically, and stopped him to breathalyse him. Ruarau blew 1280 micrograms of alcohol per litre of breath – the legal limit is 250mcg.

As a result of the high reading, he was disqualified from driving for 12 months and fined $500.

Aliitasi Leafa also appeared in court on Thursday, charged with driving with excess breath alcohol and careless driving.

On August 4, 2022, she was driving down a backroad near Akaoa at about 2.30am, where she crashed into a black Toyota Hilux truck.

She admitted her fault to the police, and was subsequently breathalysed and blew 280mcg per litre of breath.

Kenning acknowledged Leafa’s early guilty plea. She disqualified her from driving for 12 months, and fined her $50.