DRUNKEN MOTORIST.

Press, Volume LX, Issue 18239, 25 November 1924, Page 6

DRUNKEN MOTORIST.

"MENACE TO THE COMMUNITY." 0 IMPRISONMENT IMPOSED. "A man like this is an absolute menace to the community, said Mr H.. Y. Widdowson, S.M., in tho Magistrate's Court yesterdr.y when lie passed sentence of 14 days' imprisonment- with hard la'wur on a man who admitted having driven a motor-car in a public place while he was drunk •Thomas Bridson, 37 vears of vr.s defended by Mr R. Twyneham. pleaded guilty to a charge of having driven a ; motor-ear in Oxford ten-ace while ho was under the influence of liquor. Sub-Inspector A. Cameron, who prosecuted. said that at about 6.Sj o'clock on vSatiirday evening the accused - h=:d driven a. motor-car along the terrace at a furious speed. Jn its wild career down tho street the car narrowly missed hitting, and subsequently collided with, a taxi. When the accused's: c;\r came i-> a standstill it was found by the pedestrians who had gathered around that the driver was drunk and the police were immediately sent for. "He had taken tno much, your "Worship!" tho Sub-Inspector concluded, "but he was prepared to take more becciuo .-i bottle of whisky was found in the rar."

In outlining mitigating circumstance-', Mr Twyneham said that he appreciated the difficulty counsel had in .addressing his Worship on such cases. The accused bad driven cars for a, number of years both in New Zealand and England, from where he came. On the day of tho offence lie was driving a Ford car. which had no mudguards, and he suggested that Bridson had been go ins; slower than it had appeared. Accused had met some country friends and had bad two or three glasses of liquor at Tat-tersall's Hotel. He was quite sober when he left the hotel, but after lie had been iri the open for a time the liquor went to his head. Bridson felt bis position keenly, and counsel asked his Worship to deal as leniently as he could with him. "A man like- this is an absolute menace to tho community, - ' said the Magistrate. "No one knows what will happen when a drunken motorist- is on tho street. ... I cannot differentiate in these cases—when a man. ig drunk he is drunk. I cannot inflict a monetary penaitv in a case of this kind. Accused will be convicted and sentenced to 14 days' imprisonment with hard labour."