MAGISTRATE’S COURT MOTORIST FINED £20 ON DRIVING CHARGES

Press, Volume XCV, Issue 28180, 19 January 1957, Page 2

MAGISTRATE’S COURT MOTORIST FINED £20 ON DRIVING CHARGES

Wallace McKenzie, aged 39. a wool store employee, pleaded guilty in the Magistrate’s Court yesterday to charges that he drove a car in Riccarton road on November 18 without due care and attention, failed to stop after an accident, failed to ascertain if any person had been injured, and did not have a driver’s licence. Mr Rex C. Abernethy. S.M., fined McKenzie £5 on the first charge. £7 on the second, £7 on the third, and £1 on the fourth, and disqualified him from obtaining a driver’s licence for one year.

Inspector J. J. Halcrow said that at 4 a.m. on Sunday. November 18. McKenzie was driving a car north-east on Riccarton road at a speed McKenzie estimated to be 30 to 35 miles an hour. He made a right-hand turn into Hansons lane and struck a narked car. pushing it 30 feet though the brake was on. McKenzie did not stop. He let passengers out of his car further down Hansons lane and then drove to his home in Lincoln road. There was noone in the parked car. On No-' vember 22 a car was seen with damage corresponding to that on the parked car. McKenzie was interviewed and admitted the offences. He told the police he had never held a driver’s licence. ‘•You had the nerve, McKenzie, to drive round the city for some time when you did not have a licence.” said the Magistrate.' “You had the nerve, after driving into a parked car and pushing it some yards, to drive on without making any inquiry whatever, leaving it to the owner to take what steps he could to find out who was responsible. It was a pretty poor show.” LICENCE SUSPENDED

Alfred Lexington Jones, for whom Mr V. G. Spiller appeared and entered a plea of guilty, was fined £6 for driving a car in Victoria street on November 7 in a manner which was or might have been dangerous. His driver’s licence was suspended for one month.

Inspector J. J. Halcrow said that Jones was driving north along Victoria street at 11.15 a.m. on November 7 at a speed of about 30 miles an hour. Just over the Montreal street intersection he careered over to his wrong side and collided with a taxi coming in the opposite direction. When the taxi driver went across to the car he found Jones sitting behind the steering wheel. There was a smell of liquor on his breath and the taxi driver considered him to be under the influence of drink, so he decided to take the ignition key from the car, said Inspector Halcrow. Jones got out and leaned against the car. He mumbled something about going home and got back into the car. He tried to turn on the key, but he made no comment when he found it was not there.

The police were called, but when Constable Pontifex arrived Jones had disappeared, said Inspector Halcrow. A son told the constable that Jones had gone to St. George’s Hospital to see a patient but it was learned that he had no patient there. The constable returned to Jones’s home and saw a nurse, but he was unable to see Jones. In a statement he made to the

police, Jones said the throttle had jammed and he bent down to free it, said Inspector Halcrow. The accident happened at that time. He denied having taken liquor and said he had taken tablets because he suffered from headaches.

Mr Spiller said that Jones strongly denied any suggestion of his having had any liquor at that time of the - morning. He had been physically unwell for some time. The foot accelerator stuck and he bent down to free it. That was the cause of the accident. MOTOR-CYCLIST FINED £lO A motor-cyclist who drove into another motor-cycle from behind at 60 miles an hour in Wainoni road was fined £lO and his licence was suspended for six months on a charge of driving in a manner which was, or might have been, dangerous. The motor-cyclist, who failed to appear, was Christian van Wierem, a labourer. Wallace George Walker, a painter, said that he was driving his motor-cycle along Wainoni road on October 12 at about 30 miles an hour. Another motor-cycle, ridden by Wierem, drove up behind, swerved inside and struck witness’s machine, knocking the lefthand foot rest off. Wierem slid to the side, crashed into the kerb, and fell with his motor-cycle on top of him. John Keenan said that Wierem passed him in Wainoni road at 60 miles an hour. A little later witness turned a corner and saw j\ r ierem lying beside the kerb. Witness said that he took Wierem to hospital. CHARGE DISMISSED A charge against Alan Green (Mr M. G. L. Loughnan) of failing to give way was dismissed. For not having a warrant of fitness Green was fined £l. OTHER TRAFFIC CASES In other traffic prosecutions brought by the police the penalties imposed were:— No warrant of fitness: Donald Gordon Anderson, £1; Peter John Clarkson, £1; Ronald John Dell, £1; Alister Austen Deans, £1; George Louis Jeffrey, 10s. Failing to give way: David George Boyd, £4; Bryan Lawrence Gordon Bews, £4; Arthur Basil Glubb, £4; Walter Mitchell Thompson, £4 (no warrant of fitness, £1); George Percival Turner, £3.

Driving without due care and attention: Graham Boxall, £3 (no warrant of fitness, £1); James O’Hara Tobin, £3; Reginald William Mooney, £3 (no driver’s licence, £1); Arthur William Henry Wicks. £3 (no warrant of fitness, £1); Noel Relf Chambers, £2. No driver’s licence: James Robson Clark, £l.

Attempting to cross railway line when it was not clear: Michael John Wood Davis, £3.

Failing to notify change of I ownership: Norman Cavan Forde,' £2.

Driving in a manner which was or might have been dangerous: John Frank Williams, £6 and licence suspended for one month. STOLE RADIO Jack Joseph Stubbs, aged 30, a storeman (Mr A. Hearn), pleaded guilty to a charge that on October 22, 1956, «he stole a radio, valued at £l3 Is lOd, the property of the PostmasterGeneral. He was remanded to January 24 for sentence pending a report by the Probation Officer. He was allowed bail of £5O with one surety of £5O and ordered to report daily to the police. Detective C. P. Burns said that when radios were being delivered to firms in Christchurch, the person delivering them on behalf of the Post Office inadvertently left one at Hays, Ltd., which should have gone to another firm. Stubbs, knowing it had been left at the wrong place, took it home. He was interviewed by Sergeant Brewer and admitted taking the radio. He had previously come under the notice of the police.

DISORDERLY BEHAVIOUR CHARGES William lan Nelson, aged 18, a seaman, was remanded to January 24 on a charge that he behaved in a disorderly manner in Cashel street on January 17. He was allowed bail of £lO with one surety of £lO on condition that he reports daily to the police. Edward John Peacock, aged 25, a seaman and labourer, was remanded to January 24 on charges that on January 17 he assaulted Sergeant Cyril Frederick Smith in the execution of his duty, that he wilfully obstructed Constable Leonard Melville Griffiths in the execution of his duty, that he used obscene language in Cashei street, and that he behaved in a disorderly manner in Cashel street. He was allowed bail of £25 with one surety of £5O on

condition that he reports daily to the police. John James Murphy, aged 23, a labourer, was remanded to January 24 on charges that he behaved in a disorderly manner in Cashel street on January 17 and that he assaulted Sergeant Cyril Frederick Smith in the execution of his duty. He was allowed bail of £25 with one surety of £5O on condition that he reports daily to the police.