An 18-year-old motorist was nearly three times the legal alcohol limit when he fell asleep behind the wheel and collided with a power pole in Rarotonga.

The man, who has name suppression, blew 710 micrograms of alcohol per litre of breath when breathalysed by Police following the crash in Titikaveka on Saturday, according to the charges read to the defendant by the court registrar.

The legal alcohol limit is 250mcg.

The man “fell asleep behind the steering wheel”, the court registrar said.

Waiving his right to legal counsel, the man pleaded guilty to careless driving and driving with excess breath alcohol when he appeared before Justice of the Peace Tangi Taoro in the Criminal Court in Rarotonga on Thursday.

Police prosecutor Senior Sergeant Fairoa Tararo requested sentencing be adjourned until next week, to give Police time to determine the cost of damage to the power pole.

Tararo also submitted applications for the man to surrender his passport until sentencing, and for the man to be granted name suppression.

JP Taoro granted the Police’s applications and remanded the man on bail for sentencing on December 7.

At the time of the incident, Police spokesman Trevor Pitt said he did not have any information on the Titikaveka incident but believed the post was cracked.

A Te Aponga Uira truck was seen on Saturday attending to the power pole.