POLICE COURT

Southland Times, Issue 21095, 29 May 1930, Page 11

POLICE COURT

YESTERDAY’S SITTING.|

A sitting of the City Police Court was before Mr. E. C. Levvey, S.M., yesterday morning. Arthur James Brand pleaded guilty to having ridden a bicycle after dark without a light and was convicted and discharged.

Edmund Richardson Wilson was convicted and fined 10/- and ordered to pay costs 10/- on a similar charge. Joseph Chapman pleaded quilty to riding a bicycle on a footpath and was convicted and ordered fo pay costs 10/-. George Thomas Laws, who did not appear, was charged with a breach of his prohibition order.

Constable Mcßae gave evidence regarding having seen Laws in a state of intoxication. Z .

Adam Dawson was charged with supplying liquor to a prohibited person and the two cases were heard together.

Mr. Eustace Russell appeared for Dawson and said that hej did not know that Laws was prohibited. Dawson had never been before the Court before.

Dawson was fined £5, costs 10/-, and witnesses’ expenses. 10/-. -Laws was fined £2 and ordered to pay costs 10/-. A young man, who was represented by Mr. Eric Russell, pleaded guilty to a charge of having been intoxicated while in charge of a car. He was further charged with driving a car in a manner dangerous to the public. Senior-Sergeant Fox briefly outlined the facts of the case and said that accused and another man had been driving towards town and had struck the Underwood Factory. He read an extract from the constable’s report which detailed the course of the car and showed a whole series of collisions with fence posts. The senior-ser-geant asked leave to withdraw the'charge relating to driving in a dangerous manner in view of the plea.of guilty to the first charge. Mr. Russell said that the accused had taken four sherries and was quite satisfied that he was not drunk, but in view of the statement of the doctor who examined him, he had decided to plead guilty. He was of the opinion that he had fallen asleep at the wheel.

“The Court gets tired of commenting on this class of case,” said the Magistrate. “It seems futile to warn motorists and I wonder if it would not be advisable to cut out fines and try imprisonment. In this case the defendant has been punished by the injury to himself and his car. He w_ill be fined £lO with costs 21/- and witnesses expenses 20/-, and his license will be cancelled for 18 months. The second charge will be withdrawn.”

For failing to keep the motor cycle which he was riding to the left of the centre line of the road, Richard Moffatt McDowell was convicted and fined 20/- and ordered to pay costs 16/-.

An information against Frederick George Double (Mr. B. W. Hewat) for failing to give way to a vehicle at an intersection was dismissed after evidence had been heard.

Ivan Augustine O’Brien, for driving a motor cycle in Esk street in a manner dangerous to the public, was convicted and ordered to pay costs 10/- and witnesses’ expenses 10/-. For a similar charge, relating to the driving of a car on the North road, James Oughton was convicted and fined 20/- and ordered to pay costs 10/-. James Fletcher, who was represented by Mr. S. Ritchie, pleaded guilty to having driven a car in a manner dangerous to the public. Mr. Ritchie explained that the charge had arisen through Fletcher passing another car while returning from the Riverton races. The Magistrate said that motorists would have to keep in line on race days and convicted and fined Fletcher £3 and ordered him to pay costs 18/-. For failing to pay the required wages earned by two of. his employees, F. C. Blackey was convicted and fined 20/- and ordered to pay costs 15/- and witnesses’ expenses £2. .