HIS HEADLIGHTS DIM

NZ Truth, Issue 1149, 8 December 1927, Page 11

HIS HEADLIGHTS DIM

Magistrate's Curative Potion For Physician A LICENSE ON ALL FOOLS' DAY

The offence was a serious one, made more serious naturally by it being the second, but at the same time the doctor had been unfortunate.

If his license were taken away -it would place him at a decided disadvantage. He had to look after the sick and ill and might be called out at 'any time at any hour. Probably Lawyer o'L.eary. able counsel as he is, had never been more, dramatic before than he was at this moment. With a pained expression across his countenance and a look as if ' he was- suffering as well as Hennessy, M.D., he moved up close to the bench and asked for mercy.

Here was a man, a man who would have to pay the price with society charged with being drunk at the wheel. In view of that the court should try and be lenient.

"I ask," he said, "that any penalty heavier than a fin© be not. inflicted, as accused has many clients dependent on' him who see him from day to day. He understands their cases and it is essential for th^ir health /that he should continue go on treating them. I shall say no more excepting to point out that my client flings himself upon the mercy of the court for any punishment he must receive. That the magistrate/had been giving serious thought to every possible aspect of the case there was no doubt. From the time he sat on the bench until he. delivered his verdict he did

not speak one single word. Looking very worried, he said: "Well, this is a second offence and it is doubtful to me whether ' a monetary penalty is sufficient. At the . same time I shall impose a fine. . Accused will be fined £ 50 and costs and will ha.ye his license suspended until April l, 1930." At the suggestion of the clerk of the court'Hennessy, M.D., took his driver's license from ' his pocket and handed it over. Then, looking a very sad but sober man indeed, he left the dock and passed out from the-' court. Two other charges were preferred against Hennessy m the Magistrate's Court on Tuesday afternoon, the day following his appearance for being in.toxicated while m charge of a car. This time, Lawyer Jack Scott looked

after the medico's interests and pleaded with Messrs. DunbaF Sloane ana Longmore, J.P.s, whO\ were on che bench, to be lenient to a professiona.l man who had been heavily punished on the previous day. , Hennessy was charged with dangerous driving on the Hutt -'Road and with failing to give Information to the police m respect to seune. Acting-Sub Inspector gander said that the doctor, on a recent Saturday afternoon, went out to the Hutt for a ride with a couple of girls. "He says he does not know their names, your worship, although he knew one girl as Nora." _^ The bench (surprised): 'What! The doctor does not know . their names!" ,' Lawyer Scott hastily explained that his client had met the young ladles at a cabaret and taken them for a drive. Under the circumstances, it was not so hard to understand why he did not know who they were. One of the girls though, was Nora and he had met her previously.

Who Was Nora?

Lawyer Scott said that as they were pleading guilty to one charge, the one of failing \o give information to 'the police should be withdrawn. The doctor could not say who the girls were ,because he did not know them. One was Nora, that was all he knew. They had met at a cabaret and a •drive along the Hutt Road followed, a ' Acting-Sub Inspector Lander, smiling, said he had understood that Nora (he did not know her other name either) was driving the doctor's car back to the city at about thirty miles, an hour. , When they reached the part where the slip had occurred, and where a workman's shed was, Nora whatever her name was, caught a workman on the knees with the car. The other workman, who " gave the signal to stop, was ignored. Doctor Hennessy^ was interviewed over the matter, but said he could not give the/ names of his female acquaintances whom he had met at the on tifi rot .■■'""■ ■ / "Under the circumstances," aUded Sub-Inspector Lander, "I. will with-' draw the charge of failing to give information to the police as it seems -the doctor did not know the young ladles' names whom he was with. I believe though, sir, that Nora was driving at the time the accident occurred." Lawyer Scott . pressed for leniency, but the bench said that the offence for which the, defendant had been fined the previous day was a separate one. They thought that a penalty meeting the case should be inflicted. '. Hennessy was fined £3 and costs.