CHARGE AGAINST MOTORIST

Dominion, Volume 21, Issue 259, 2 August 1928, Page 16

CHARGE AGAINST MOTORIST

UNUSUAL CIRCUMSTANCES £l5 .FINE IMPOSED Unusual circumstances were pleaded by Mr. C. R. Barrett when Thomas Clarence Pearce appeared before Mr. J. H. Salmon, in the Lower Hutt Magistrate's Court yesterday, to answer a charge of being found In charge of a motoircar while iu a state of intoxication. ■ . Mr. Barrett, who entered .a plea of guilty, said that on- the day -,of the arrest, his client was suffering from - influenza, and had- been told by his employer, .in Wellington, to go .home. ' He had two drinks tn the city, and then drove out to Lower Hutt, where he was noticed. by a traffic inspector to be driving in an erratic manner. The inspector told, him to drive the car to a garage. This was done, and accused told the man at the garage that there was something wrong with the steering gear. The mechanism was inspected, and it was discovered that ‘.an axle had been put in back to front,-.the tie rods were bent, the steering box, had been disarranged, and the bolts in the shackles were loose. This had the effect of making the car unmanageable. Counsel submitted that his client worked for -a motor firm which was willing to keep him on, and also stated that he contributed materially towards the support of. his' mother. Mr. Barrett stated that he understood that the Hutt Borough Council was’not going to press for a cancellation of accused’s license, this statement being corroborated by the borough solicitor (Mr. E. P. "Bunny). “These cases are usually dealt with by a heavy penalty," said Mr. Salmon, “and, so far as I am concerned, suspension of license follows automatically. In this case there appear to be exceptional circumstances, and I think the public will be sufficiently safeguarded if accused takes out a prohibition order against .himself.”

Accused was fined £l5, and ordered to take out a prohibition order. On a charge of failing to produce a driver’s license—to which a plea of guilty was also entered—accused was convicted and ordered to pay costs. '