Wellington  - A New Zealand mother caught driving her 5-year- old child with a breath-alcohol level nearly three times the legal limit blamed mouthwash when stopped by police, a court was told, according to a news report Wednesday.

Shona Ann Connor, 42, was driving with a breath-alcohol level of 1,076 micrograms per litre, Friday in the South Island city of Invercargill. The legal limit is 400 mcg.

Police told the Invercargill court Tuesday that she admitted "having a couple of drinks" before driving but said her mouthwash had probably put her over the limit, the Southland Times reported.

Judge Kevin Phillips said she was lucky not to have had a heart attack with that "huge amount of alcohol," adding, "You wouldn't have known what city you were in, let alone that you were driving a car."

He sentenced Connor to 100 hours of community work and banned her from driving for nine months. (IANS)