INTOXICATED DRIVER

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Issue 37, 27 February 1937, Page 5

INTOXICATED DRIVER

Found Asleep in Car on Napier-Hastings Road MAGISTRATE IMPOSES FINE Oommenting that, although ihe eiraumstances were out of the ordinary, the defendant was lucky to escape imprisonment, Mr J, Miii'er, S.M., fined Uonald Meintyre Seaton, bushman, £10 on a , large oi being /intoxicated, in charge of a motor-car. Seaton appeave.d tn tne Napier Magistrate 's Court this morning. ±tis licence was cancelled for six months. Senior-Sergeant W. Pender, when a plea of guilty was entered, stated that the defendant had been found asleep in his car on the 'Napier-Hastings road. He was taken to the police station, where a doctor certified ■ that he was fiot in a fit eondition to be in charge of a car. . For the defendant, Mr C. W. Nash pleaded that special circumstances of the case showed that the defendant should not be sent to gaol. The defendant had sulfered from insomnia, and had been unable to sleep_, so that the small quantity of liquor he had taken had had a more potent effect on him than it otherwise would,, Hq had pulled the car to the side of the road, shut off the engine and gone to sleep. The Magistrate commented ,that, although the defendant , had . two, previous ponvictions of a similar nature, they had occurred 14 years ago. He had undoubtedly realised that it would be safer not to drive, and in view of the circumstances a fine would taka the place of impriflonmenL