Man blames girlfriend’s dead parrot for his 3rd drunken driving offense

A New Zealand man offered this explanation for another drunken driving offense — he was rushing home to console his girlfriend over a dead parrot.

Doug Bracewell’s lawyer said Bracewell, a 26-year-old professional cricket player, was attending a social function when his “distraught” girlfriend called. She told him their pet cockatoo was killed by dogs they were watching for a friend.

Bracewell had a blood alcohol reading more than three times the legal limit. He was ordered Thursday by the Masterton court to perform 100 hours of community work. He was also convicted of driving under the influence of alcohol in 2008 and 2010.

Bracewell acknowledged his mistake of not waiting for a taxi. Outside court, he called this an “unfortunate situation,” but said “that’s no excuse driving a vehicle while having a few drinks.”