£l5 FINE IMPOSED

Dominion, Volume 33, Issue 167, 10 April 1940, Page 5

£l5 FINE IMPOSED

Intoxication Admitted By

Driver

LICENCE NOT CANCELLED

Dominion Special Service.

HASTINGS, April 9

A line, without cancellation of his driver's licence in view of the special circumstances involved, was inflicted on Leonard Davidson Paterson, company director, by Mr. Miller, S.M., in the Magistrates’ Court, Hastings, today when he was charged with being intoxicated while in charge of a ear, Paterson, who pleaded guilty, was lined £l5, with £2/3/4 costs, and his licence was endorsed.

Senior-Sergeant E. Quayle said the attention of Traffic Inspector Poddy was attracted to the erratic driving of Patersoil's car. About 5 p.ru. Paterson went to the post office and lurched into a person, who informed Traffic Inspector Daine. In backing out of a line of ears Paterson struck a light standard. He was not in a bad state of intoxication and was able to carry out certain tests, but nevertheless the senior-sergeant was satisfied that Paterson was not in a fit state to drive.

Normally Paterson, who was a director of a large business in Wellington operating throughout New Zealand and with a branch in Australia, never touched liquor during working hours, said Air. W. E. Bate. Unfortunately on Friday he entered a hotel in Hastings in the course of his business, and an interview with the licensee lasted longer than he expected. While there he had an odd drink at intervals. From the statement by the seniorsergeant and the fact that a doctor called in at about 6.30 p.m. had not certified Paterson as unfit to drive, Mr. Bate suggested that it was probably the lightest case of its kind to come before the magistrate for a long time.