"TOTAL ABSTAINER BEFORE ARREST"

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Issue 26, 15 February 1937, Page 6

"TOTAL ABSTAINER BEFORE ARREST"

Intoxicated Driver Loses His Licence "Until a few days before his arrest he was a total abstainer," said Mr H. Le Pine in defending Frank Travortow on a charge of being intoxicated in charge of a motor vehicle when he appeared before Mr J. Miller, S.M., in the Napier Magistrate's ' Court this morning. Mr Le Pine added that the defendant was still in hospital, had been worried about his ill-health and that, beeause he was unused to liquor, it had had more effect upon. him than it ordinarily would have_ It was explained to the Court by Senior-Sergeant W. Pender that th« poliee had received a message to say that a car was on the Napier-Taupo road at Eskdale with the engine running and a man asleep in it. Detectiva K. W. Mills and Constable D. Waldea visited the scene, and found defendant

alseep, with a half flask oi whisky, almost empty, beside him. He was taken to the poliee station and locked up, but became ill. A doctor ordered his removal to the Napier Publie Hospital, and aecording to advice from the institution this morning it would be two or three weeks before he was in a fit condition to be discharged. Mr Miller remarked that it was fortunate that in this case the accused had not driven the car while in such a condition, as in his drunken state anything might have happened. He imposed a fine of £15, and cancelled defendant '» driving licence for 12 months.