INTOXICATED MOTORIST.

Shannon News, 8 November 1927, Page 4

INTOXICATED MOTORIST.

JUSTICES TAKE'- LENIENT VIEW. TE HORO RESIDENT RUN INTO. Palmerston North, Nov. 3. An elderly man. was charged in the Magistrate’s Court this morning, before Messrs F. W. Connell and C. N. Clausen, J.’sP., with being in a state of intoxication while- in charge of a motor-car yesterday afternoon. Accused, who was not represented by counsel, pleaded guilty to the charge. Senior Sergeant O’Grady stated that the case was the outcome of an accident that occurred near the Working Men’s Club, in Cuba Street. “A youngman, Alan Holdworth, of' Te Horo, came out of a garage and accused ran into the back of his motor-cyele, damaging it to some extent,” added the senior sergeant. “An argument occurred after the mishap and eventually accused offered to drive the young man to the police station! and report the accident. Wlfen the former arrived there he w r as unsteady in his gait. It took him some time to get in tl;e door—his' speech was thick and his eyes w'ere heavy; he showed unmistakable signs of intoxication. A doctor was called in and pronounced him to be intoxicated, .whereupon accused w r as taken into custody. On a busy day like yesterday, if was certainly dangerous to have a man of this type driving around the town.”

, “I had not been feeling very well in the morning; I met a friend before luncheon, and I had two whiskies,” stated accused. “I later went to the show, and all I had there was two glasses of stout and a small sample of port l wine. I did’nof think I was under the influence of liquor, but if the polite say so, I must submit to that. I knew' everything; I -was doing very well.” Accused w'ent on to add that he had lived in Palmerston North for 20 years, and had driven a car for that period. The cyclist, he averred, had stopped suddenly in front of him, and, pullingup within three feet, the car only bent the back mudguard of the machine, i In evidence, the motor-cyclist stated that, after lie came out of the Cuba Street motor garage and was proceeding towards Rangitikei Street, accused came up behind him, and when his machine was still in motion, bumped into him, throwing him over the handles and bending the back mudguard, doubling back the footrest, and| damaging the front brake and the carrier. “Accused was certainly not in {a.normal state,” added witness. “When we were driving to the police station, I felt sure- that he would run into a lamp post. When he reached the station and alighted from the car he floundered about.” In giving their decision, the Beneh stated that intoxicated motorists were a menace to the public, more particularly when traffic was congested, w'hicli was the case yesterday. J Accused was convicted and, provided the young man was compensated for the damage to his cycle, fined £5 and costs.