Doctor’s Plea Of New Drug Fails

Press, Volume CIII, Issue 30511, 5 August 1964, Page 13

Doctor’s Plea Of New Drug Fails

(New Zealand Press Association)

WHANGAREI, August 3.

plea by counsel for special consideration for a doctor who took a small quantity of alcohol after having been on a new antibiotic drug for a week and was arrested while driving under the influence of drink or drug, failed in the Whangarei Magistrate’s Court.

Frederick John Gruar, aged 45, orthopaedic surgeon, of Whau Valley . road, Whangarei, pleaded guilty to driving while under the influence, and was fined £3O by Mr J. R. Herd, S.M. His licence was cancelled for three years. Sergeant R. A. Naysmlth said that on Friday a constable saw Gruar’s car parked with the headlights full on. He approached the driver and found he was in an advanced state of intoxication. A doctor who examined Gruar about 20 minutes later at the police station said he was unfit to drive.

Mr R. Gerard, for Gruar, said Gruar had been suffering from a corneal ulcer, for which he had been taking a new drug. There was no warning given with the drug that alcohol should not be taken after the drug. Gruar had been unable to operate during the week, but on Friday had been operating all day, and then, after commenting adversely to his

anaesthetist on the effects of the drug, had gone home and taken his family to a private party. Four Whiskies At the party he had four small whiskies, and then went home, where he read for about an hour, then returned to pick up his family. After returning to the party, he suddenly found he was suffering from the full effect of the alcohol. He tried to get his car off the road into the driveway, and it was then that the police had seen him. Mr Gerard asked that the Magistrate accept that the circumstances made it a special case under the Transport Act, so that cancellation of the licence was not obligatory. The Magistrate said he was unable to accept that as a special reason. He was limited in his judgment to the type of offence, not a type of person, he said. The reasons given by Mr Gerard were ones that could happen to many men in similar circumstances and he did not think that that was sufficient reason to avoid cancellation of the licence.