A BAD CASE

Evening Post, Volume CXXIV, Issue 96, 20 October 1937, Page 15

A BAD CASE

INTOXICATED IN CHARGE MACHINIST FINED £30 Described by the Magistrate (Mr. H. T. Lawry, S.M.) as the worst case of its kind that had come before him in Petone, a charge of being intoxicated in charge of a car, was made against Charles William Chisholm, a printing . machinist, aged 43, in the Petone Court' today. He pleaded guilty and was fined £30. His licence was cancelled) and he was forbidden from obtaining another one for eighteen months. Senior-Sergeant H. C. D. Wade slated . that Chisholm was in charge of a five- ; seater motor-car, and left Wellington on Saturday afternoon for Petone. Two ; other men were in the car. On the ■ way out the defendant collided with. 1 two cars and did not stop. Inspector ' Crawford, of the Transport Department, saw two other cars drawn up, and a woman who had been driving ' had received such a fright that she was sick. Chisholm continued on to Petone, narrowly missing other cars, 1 and during this time the police received telephone messages from all quarters stating that a maniac was on the road and if he was not arrested the hospital would be full. He pulled up at the Grand National Hotel, where he was refused liquor, and when he came out he fell over twice. Constable Honeybone then arrested him, and a doctor certified that he was unfit to drive. Two charges of hitting and running could have been made against Chisholm, but it was thought that the one ' charge on which he was before the ; Court would cover them. He was in ' a condition in which he could have 1 been arrested for drunkenness if he was not in charge of a car. He was not a confirmed drunkard, and had not ' been before the Court previously. He was a married man- with two children. "He is lucky not to be standing here charged with manslaughter," con- , eluded the Senior-Sergeant. Mr, T. G.. Taylor stated that possibly one of the happenings would account for all the telephone rings. The defendant was proceeding at a normal speed, and was about to pass a car in front of him when he was forced by an oncoming car to pull back. He felt a slight bump, but thought he had been hit by the oncoming car. He had left work at 2.30 that morning and had not had much to eat during the day. He had certainly had some liquor, and when he was leaving the Grand National Hotel he was pushed from behind and slipped on the step. He was a man who could not stand liquor, and this was the first drink he had had since the football match, His wife said that in sixteen years of married life she had only once seen him the worse of liquor. Mr. Lawry said that this was the worst case of its kind that had come before him in Petone. One case like it had been dealt with ill Carterton, where a man was charged under the 1936 Act with failing to stop. Under this Act a sentence of five years' imprisonment could be imposed, and the charge was more serious than that of being intoxicated in charge of a car. A sentence of three imprisonment was imposed, and this sentence was afterwards confirmed by the Full Court. Chisholm was fortunate in not being charged with failing to stop, As it was, said Mr. Lawry, he had had to consider seriously whether to send him to gaol,or not, but in view of his previous good record and the fact that he had not been before the Court before, he would impose a penalty as stated above. MOTORIST FINED £20 (By Telegraph—Press Association.) BLENHEIM, This Day. John William Ferano, wool buyer, was fined £20, and his licence was gan--1 celled for six months, on a charge of 1 intoxication in charge of a motor-car. A traffic inspector saw him pursuing an erratic course through the centre of ■ the town on a recent Saturday night.