SENT TO PRISON.

Auckland Star, Volume LXXI, Issue 179, 30 July 1940, Page 8

SENT TO PRISON.

INTOXICATION CASES.

DRIVER AND MOTOR CYCLIST.

MAGISTRATE'S COMMENTS.

"It is a most unpleasant task to deal with respectable men with family responsibilities, but this offence has become well known and the public must be protected. Unless there are some unusual circumstances the penalty for this class of offence is imprisonment," said Mr. J. Morling, S.M., in the Police Court this morning after counsel for two men before the magistrate for being in a state of intoxication while in charge of a motor vehicle had asked that some other punishment might be inflicted. Bertram Augustus Hugh Buscomb (50), a gardener, admitted that he was ill a state of intoxication while in charge of a motor cycle in Hobson Street. Senior-Sergeant Joyce said that after Buscoiub had run his motor cycle on portion of the road roped off for repair a constable could see that he was intoxicated. Bu&coinb admitted to the constable that he had 12 glasses of beer before 0 p.m. He was a man of good character and had four children. Mr. Aekins on accused's behalf stated that Buscomb had four glasses of beer. He was prepared to take out a prohibition order. Buscomb was sentenced to seven days' imprisonment.

Hit Safety Zone. "After the car driven by this man collided with a safety zone in Queen Street near" Shortland Street on the night of July 25 he drove the car into O'Connell Street, where a constable found him in a very intoxicated condition," said Senior-Sergeant Joyce about Hedwin Arthur William Swenson, a farmer, aged 46. Swenson, for whom Mr. Cyril Snedden appeared, pleaded guilty to the charge.

Mr. Snedden said Swenson had held a lkense for 20 years'and this was the first time he had eve/ been in any trouble. He was married, with three children. On July 25 Swenson started work at 4 a.m. and when driving along Queen Street late that night, being tired and sleepy, he had apparently dozed off. However, Swenson was quite capable of driving his car into O'C'onneH Street. Counsel added that the shock sustained through the collision with the safetyzone probably made his condition appear much worse than it really was. Swenson, too, was sentenced to seven days' imprisonment. In both cases the magistrate cancelled the licenses and disqualified Buscomb and Swenson from obtaining another for 12 months. °