TEN DAYS' GAOL

Evening Post, Volume CXXVI, Issue 45, 22 August 1938, Page 11

TEN DAYS' GAOL

INTOXICATED DRIVER

A PLEA OF GUILTY

A sentence of ten days' imprisonment was imposed on Leo Spencer Parsloe, a seaman and ship's fireman, by Mr. J. H. Luxford, S.M., in the Magistrate's Court today for being intoxicated in charge of a motor-car in Waterloo Quay on Saturday. The defendant's driving licence was suspended until May 31, 1939.

Mr. R. Hardie Boys appeared for the defendant, who pleaded guilty.

j Sub-Inspector D. A. McLean said that on Saturday evening Inspector Round, of the Wellington City Council Traffic Department, was on duty outside the Lyttelton Express Wharf when he saw a car stop on an authorised taxi stand. When he was crossing the road towards the car his attention was attracted to the behaviour of one of the passengers, who was obviously the worse for liquor. He then saw the driver go into the back of the car, and formed the opinion that he was in a state of intoxication. The inspector took the defendant to the police station, where he was examined by Dr. Shirer. The police alleged that the defendant was very much in a state of drunkenness. He had not been in trouble since 1935.

Mr. Boys said that his client's list of previous convictions showed nothing worse than offences often committed by firemen when on shore. The doctor's certificate did not indicate an advanced stage of intoxication. It was his client's first offence of this nature. He had been engaged as a fireman on the trawler Futurist, which ship had been held up for a long time unable to obtain firemen. She could go to sea forthwith if the defendant had his liberty. He would also undertake to dispose of the car.

The Magistrate said that he saw nothing in the case to differentiate between it and the-usual run of intoxication cases.