A man caught drink driving after having close to 100 standard drinks has divided the internet with his potentially deadly actions drawing the support of some.
‘Scott’ was drinking and watching football at his home in Newcastle, in 2012, before getting up early the next morning to pick up a colleague and drive to work.
On Saturday evening, some 16 hours after his last drink he was pulled into a random breath test and blew 0.169 – with police determining he’d drunk 96.6 standard drinks.
Now, some five years on, video of his run in with the law captured on Channel Nine’s ‘RBT’ has belatedly gone viral, with social media divided as to whether he’s a ‘hero’ or a ‘bloody idiot’.
‘Scott’ (pictured) has become an internet cult hero after video re-emerged of him being caught by police having had the equivalent of 96.6 standard drinks at his Newcastle home
From the moment he is pulled over, police are aware Scott’s been drinking with one officer remarking: ‘He absolutely wreaks of alcohol’.
A P-plate driver despite his age, legally he must have a blood alcohol reading of 0.0 when he gets behind the wheel.
But despite the initial high-range reading, Scott continues to claim all he has had to drink for more than half a day is water, leaving officers shocked.
‘I had a few at the pub, went home and watched two games of footy, (drank) scotch, you know like everyone does on their day off,’ he explains.
When asked to give a rundown of everything he’s drunk, Scott’s explanation gives a hint as to why he blew such a high reading so long after his last drink.
‘A carton and a bit (of beer) easy, scotch and a couple of cans of Wild Turkey,’ he tells police of his mammoth drinking session.
Video of his run in with the law captured on Channel Nine’s ‘RBT’ has gone viral online five years on, with social media divided about whether he’s a ‘hero’ or a ‘bloody idiot’
When asked to give a rundown of everything he’s drunk, Scott’s explanation gives a hint as to why he blew such a high reading so long after his last drink
The shocked officer determines in total that adds up to some 96.6 standard drinks.
‘I’ve been doing this job for a while, I have never heard of anyone drinking this much and still breathing… most people would be dead,’ the policeman tells Scott.
But while police claimed he had a drinking problem and Scott admitted he was sorry, his actions have led to praise from some social media viewers.
‘I am extremely disappointed with this man… 4.4 more standard drinks and he would have cracked 100… sounds like we have a quitter here,’ one commenter wrote.
‘The cops actually look impressed,’ another said.
Others weren’t so keen to have a laugh at his expense, outraged that he got behind the wheel while drunk put other drivers at risk.
While police were unimpressed and Scott admitted he had a drinking problem, it led to praise from some social media viewers – while others were less impressed
‘I am actually… genuinely f**king saddened that anyone thinks this is cool… that’s depressing,’ one person said.
‘I hope he enjoys alcohol induced dementia. He won’t be a “top bloke” or an “Aussie hero” when he’s in a nursing home in his last stages of life,’ an angry nurse wrote.
‘Nobody should drink and drive .. Ask someone who has lost a family member to a road accident,’ another person commented.
Scott was convicted of mid-range drink driving, disqualified from driving for eight months and fined $750.