INTOXICATED DRIVER

Evening Post, Volume CXXVIII, Issue 47, 24 August 1939, Page 15

INTOXICATED DRIVER

FORTNIGHT'S GAOL

"SLUMPED BY THE WHEEL"

Stuart Fraser, a motor-driver, aged 44, who appeared before Mr. J. L. Stout, S.M., in the Magistrate's Court today, charged with being intoxicated in charge of a motor-truck in Dufferin Street yesterday morning, pleaded guilty and was sentenced to fourteen days' imprisonment. His licence was cancelled and he was forbidden to procure another until November 24, 1940. Fraser was represented by Mr. G. C. Kent. Sub-Inspector D. J. O'Neill, who prosecuted, stated that at 11.35 a.m. j yesterday a constable, who was rid- j ing on the back platform of a tramcar in the vicinity of Dufferln Street and Ellice Street, noticed a truck driven by the accused proceeding in a very erratic manner. The sub-in-spector described the movements of the truck until it finally came to a stop suddenly. The constable rushed to the truck and found a man slumped by the wheel. His breath was alcoholic, and, on realising what was happening, the driver commenced to j struggle and threatened to punch the! constable. "By this time he was really fighting drunk," the sub-inspector added, "and a tram inspector assisted the constable. At noon the man was j medically examined and was certii lied to be definitely drunk and a decided menace to other users of the road." The accused drove for a local wine and spirit firm, and was actually carrying liquor for them at the time of the incident. He appeared addicted to drink, and had previous convictions for drunkenness. "These cases are always serious from the point of view of an accused, when the man himself earns a livelihood by virtue of a di'iving licence," said Mr. Kent. His client, he said, was a married man with one child. He had been driving for his firm for the past .twenty years, and had had no trouble during that period and had always had the reputation of being a very reliable driver. Mr. Kent stated that his client's manager was in the courtroom and was willing to testify to the man's fine record of service for the firm. His job was to i transport goods, which included liquor, from the warehouse. Yesterday he was ■on duty driving goods round the city. He was seen by his father at 10.45 a.m., and the latter could say that at that time he was perfectly sober. He was managing the truck in a perfectly normal way. He was "picked up" at 11.35 j a.m., which meant that, allowing time j for him to park his truck and do one thing and another, in the short space of thirty minutes he was transformed from an ordinary sober citizen into a man on the wrong side of the law. That required explanation. Mr. j Kent said that the whole trouble with his client started with the Great War, when, as a comparative youth, he took liquor for the first time as a sedative for his nerves. Nowadays he could consume only one or two drinks and then he would collapse. He could not control himself at all. The amount of liquor that would not affect a normal man would cause him to collapse. He asked that the Magistrate might see his way clear to impose a prohibition order and if necessary impose a substantial fine. "I am afraid that cannot be done," said the Magistrate, mentioning that the man had been convicted for drunkenness' this year.