INTOXICATED TAXIDRIVER

Dominion, Volume 23, Issue 83, 2 January 1930, Page 18

INTOXICATED TAXIDRIVER

. ■— —. FOUND ASLEEP IN CAR USE OF OBSCENE LANGUAGE Another intoxicated motorist, this time a taxi driver, Paul Olsen Sabo, aged 39, was convicted in the Magistrate’s Court on Tuesday morning by Messrs. D. Keir and T. Coltmau, J.P.’s, and fined £2O, in default one month’s imprisonment, on a charge of being drunk while in charge of a car in Nelson Street. . Accused also, had his license cancelled for twelve months. Accused 'was also charged with having used obscene language to a police constable. Senior-Sergeant Ward, in outlining the case, said, that Constable O’Sullivan noticed Sabo asleep over the wheel of his car in Nelson Street at 11.45 p.rii. on December 27. Ou being awakened the accused made use of an obscene expression, and it was easy to see lie was intoxicated. Sabo was taken to the Mount Cook Police Station, where, at his own request, he was seen by a doctor. The latter stated that Sabo was intoxicated and unfit to drive a car.

Sergeant Wilson, of Mount Cook, said that accused was undoubtedly under the influence of liquor when brought to the station.

Constable O’Sullivan, who arrested Sabo, said that the accused smelt of liquor and walked unsteadily. Mr. O. .C. Mazengarb said that he had advised his client to plead guilty because on the evidence of the police it seemed that he must be convicted. That evidence had been given, and there was no defence to raise against it. Sabo stated he had a long and a busy day, and had only taken a couple of beers in the afternoon. The matter was a very serious one for him, because he owned his own car and depended on driving it for a living, he was a married man with a family and had not previously been in trouble. Then, again, the'City Council would view the matter seriously, and perhaps refuse to grant accused a taxi-driver’s license again. Counsel asked that the license not be cancelled and that the court deal as lightly as it could with the matter under the circumstances. The obscene expression used to the arresting constable was made by a man who woke up suddenly from a sleep. No one heard It used, and that being so, counsel suggested that the. Justice dismiss it under the section that gave them power to deal with the matter as trivial. . Senior-sergeant Ward said that a couple of months ago accused was questioned by the police at the station, Sabo being under the influence of liquor at the" time. He was not intoxicated enough to be charged with being drunk in charge of his car, but he had been drinking and his passenger was frightened to ride with him. The matter from the point of view of the police was all the more serious as accused was a taxi driver.

Mr. Keir said that Sabo should have thought of the serious consequences of the case before becoming intoxicated. The matter was far too serious for the bench to pass over lightly. “So far as the charge of bad'language is concerned.” said Mr. Keir, “you will be convicted and fined £l, in default, three days’ imprisonment. I hope it will be a lesson to you, because you had no right to speak to a decent man in language of this kind.”

Accused was allowed a month in which to pay his fines.