POLICE COURT

Evening Star, Issue 22443, 14 September 1936, Page 7

POLICE COURT

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 14. (Before Mr H. W. Bundle, S.M.) DRUNKENNESS. Two first offenders were each fined 10s, in default 24 hours’ imprisonment, on charges of drunkenness. CHIMNEY ON EIRE. v Archibald M'Laren was fined 5s and costs for allowing a chimney to catch tire. UNLAWFULLY ON PREMISES. Roy Arundel, Maurice Sparrow, Alister Stronach, Joseph Arthur Sparrow, and Stanley Edwin Omand each pleaded. guilty to being unlawfully on licensed premises. Mr I. A. Turnbull appeared for all the defendants. Senior-sergeant Packer said that the five men before the court were found at ,8.25 p.m. on Saturday drinking ale at the counter of the Robert Burns Hotel. None of the defendants had appeared on other charges. A fine of 10s and costs was imposed in each case, MUDDLED MOTORIST. Robert Graham, for whom Mr G. M. Lloyd appeared, pleaded guilty to a charge of being intoxicated while in charge of a motor car. Senior-sergeant Packer said that fit 1.25 a.m. yesterday the defendant was driving a car, which collided with one of the ■ iron standards on the safety zone at the Stock Exchange. A constable heard the crash, and upon reaching the scene found the defendant in a muddled condition. He would have it that he was in the Octagon. When he was brought to the station the doctor certified that he was intoxicated. Graham had a' license under the name of Goodchild. Air Lloyd explained that the defendant bad not been long in Dunedin, and was still a little confused about the Octagon and the Stock Exchange. _ In fact, when he was quite sober last night he repeated the statement that the accident had happened in the Octagon. When be was driving the car there was very little traffic about, and the visibility was very bad. There was no question of He had been playing crib ■with friends until midnight, and had had two glasses of beer. He had been involved in domestic trouble some years ago, and had since changed his name to Graham. He purchased a car at Christchurch about four years ago as Goodchild, and when he came to Dunedin he was known as Graham. Counsel asked that the defendant be leniently dealt with as he used the car for business purposes, and had been before the court previously only on two minor charges. _ “ The ’ outstanding fact about this case is that the defendant was rather badly intoxicated. It is most unfortunate that when a man uses his car to carry on his business he should be brought before the court on a charge of this nature," commented the Magistrate, who convicted the defendant and fined him £2O and expenses (£1 11s). and suspended his license for 1months. MOTORIST INTOXICATED. >' William Gordon Howjohns (Air AI. Hanan) pleaded guilty to a charge of being intoxicated while in charge of a motor car. Defendant was coming from the football match at 4.45 p.m. on Saturday, said the senior sergeant. A traffic inspector was on duty, and when he signalled to Howjohns to stop his car the latter failed to do so. He was stopped later, and was then found to be intoxicated, and was sent on to the police station, where the doctor certified that he was not in a fit condition to drive. Defendant came from Omakau, and admitted having had a good quantity of drink. There were certain features in this case which made it out of the ordinary, submitted Mr Hauau. It had been stated that defendant was intoxicated, but this was mct_ by the fact that he successfully negotiated the traffic outside the football ground, a task that called for extreme care and skill. Howjohns had come to town on Friday night, and had attended to some business on Saturday morning. He accompanied two others to the football, where between them they consumed half a bottle of whisky. Howjohns was a stranger to Dunedin, and was completely ignorant of the stringent traffic regulations for that day. If necessary, he would be willing to take out a prohibition order. _ He was in business as a garage proprietor, and if his license were cancelled it would mean his going out of business. “ Alen who' are engaged in dealing with motors as a Jiving,” said the magistrate, “should be the ones "to be careful and to abstain.” The case might bo an exceptional one, but so were all others brought before the court. Defendant was convicted and fined £2O and expenses (£1 Is), and his license was cancelled for 12 months. PROBATION FOR TWO YEARS. Louis Gordon Henri (Air G. T. BayIce) appeared on remand charged with the theft of £2 10s,- and itr view of his

previous record, and the possibility of his making good if placed on probation, was admitted to probation for two years. Restitution of the £2 10s was ordered, and a condition made was that he shall not associate with anyone of whom the probation officer disapproves.