A Goulburn man who got behind the wheel after an all-day drinking session has been told he is lucky to be alive.
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Jesse Caligiuri, 23, appeared before Goulburn Local Court on Wednesday (July 27) and pleaded guilty to one count of high range drink driving.
The court heard that in the early hours of March 27, Caligiuri caught the attention of police on Lagoon Street after his vehicle was observed to not have headlights switched on.
Despite being signalled to stop, Caligiuri continued to drive and began to drift from side to side, almost crashing into a power pole on the nature strip, finally coming to a stop after mounting the gutter.
Police documents read out in court said that police observed Caligiuri to be smelling strongly of alcohol when approached, unsteady on his feet, with speech slurred. A half-consumed bottle of beer was sitting in a cup holder.
Police administered a roadside breath test where he returned a reading of 0.178, more than three times the legal limit. The same result was returned later at Goulburn Police Station.
He told police he had been drinking from 12.30pm to 11.45pm the previous day during which he claimed to have consumed 10-12 full strength beers.
When quizzed by Magistrate Geraldine Beattie as to why he attempted to drive after such a long drinking session, Caligiuri simply admitted he had "no excuse" and "instantly regretted" his actions.
Magistrate Beattie chastised Caligiuri in court for actions she said could have killed both himself and others.
"High range drinking is the most serious form of that offence which is why it carries a maximum penalty of 18 months imprisonment, because of the danger it causes the community," she said.
"Drink driving is unfortunately too common in the community. Even at 0.5 your chances double of an accident.
"You are so lucky you didn't crash, so lucky you didn't kill yourself, and even luckier you didn't kill anyone else."
Caligiuri was handed a community corrections order (CCO) of 20 months. He was also disqualified for driving for seven months with a two-year interlock order and fined $1500.
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