PRIEST FINED

Evening Post, Volume CVI, Issue 48, 6 September 1928, Page 18

PRIEST FINED

DRUNK IN CHARGE OF CAR NOT A SERIOUS OFFENCE (By Telegraph.) (Special to "The Evening Post") AUCKLAND, This Day. A charge of being in a state of intoxication while- in charge of a motor-car in Grey's avenue on Tuesday afternoon was admitted by a Roman Catholic priest, Father Joseph Duffy, aged 41, of Papakura (Mr. Sullivan) in the Magistrate's Court yesterday. . Sub-Inspector M'Carthy said that a City j Council traffic inspector was sitting in his office in the Town Hall, when, looking through a window, he saw a motor-ear travelling down Grey's avenue in a zig-zag course. The driver apparently intended i to turn round when he reached the toot I of the avenue, but he ran the car on to the footpath and crashed into a tree. An endeavour was then made to back the car on to the road, and an accident with a passing vehicle was narrowly averted. The traffic inspector made his way to the scene, and ou arriving found that the accused, who was thq driver, was not in a proper state to be in charge of a ear. With the assistance of another man from the traffic office the inspector took the accused to the police station,-where he was examined by a doctor.' In the opinion of the doctor the accused had had too much to drink. Sub-Inspector M'Carthy added there were no serious features about the case. It appeared as though the accused had had some trouble with his gears in trying to turn the car. "Although the facts as presented to me and as indicated by the doctor show that if 1 contested the matter I would probably succeed, I want to take a wider view of this matter and avoid' occupying time in bringing forward statements that would have a damaging effect," said Mr." Sullivan. "There is no doubt the accused had trouble with the gears of his ear; The car he was driving was one in which the changing of gears is carried out in a manner similar to a truck; t is very difficult. The doctor does not say the accused was drunk. The accused had lunched in town and as he was suffering from an attack of influenza he had one drink after lunch. No doubt hi his weak state it affected him. It is not a serious case, and I ask the Court to view it in the light of the doctor's certificate." Counsel applied for suppression of the accused's name, stating that the" effect of its publication would be more far-reaching and serious than he could indicate. " lam not going to make any class distictioii,"" the Magistrate said. "Next week I may have another man before me in a different walk of life for some offence, and I may have to refuse a similar request. The doctor's i-ertificatc says ac-' 1 cused had consumed a considerable amount of alcohol, although lie could not" certify he was drunk. You could not have a. lighter certificate than that if you tried. Of course, the punishment of publiicfcy is [ great, especially for a man of profes- ! sional standing. This is not a bud case, but I am not going to make an order "for the suppression of the name, Nobody who is going'to .drive a car should have any liquor at all. There is always a danger. It is unfortunate that this man had influenza, as it probably .upset him." . A tine of £5 was imposed, the Magistrate adding that the case was the least serious of its kind he had been called upon ■to deal with. In consequence he ■was imposing the lightest fine that had been inflicted by him for such an offentJe. i