LORD AVEBURY’S APPEAL

Greymouth Evening Star, 7 May 1936, Page 10

LORD AVEBURY’S APPEAL

RECORD OF MOTORING OFFENCES LONDON, March 21. Details of Lord Avebury's record of nictOTing offences were given at the Surrey Quarter Sessions yesterday when he unsuccessfully appealed [against ’a decision of the Kingston Bench. J.ord Avebury, who is 21, was on February 20>fined £5. and his licence sir pended for 12 months for exceeding the speed limit on the Kingston by-pass in a car with a trailer attached. Dismissing the appeal with costs, tin chairman (Mr J. H. W. Pilcher), said tljat in the opinion of the Ap-' peals Committee, it was a proper sentence to impose. Mr G. B. McClure, for the Kingston justices, declared that Lord Avebury's speed was 41 miles an hour. Hi : record was somewhat extraordinary. Any one looking :it it would im gin© that he was either openly defying the law in certain small ways i or behaving in a really childish man-1 net.

In 1932, Lord Avebury was fined £3 for driving without due care. Jn 1934 he had six convictions or cautions for motoring' offences, and in 1935 nine convictions or cautions. Lolice-Sergt. Lord, who produced L<’ d /Xvebury’s record, stated in reply io Mr Theodore Turner ‘(for Lord Av -bury) that there had becn'no sugigestion against his competence as a driver.

NEW TYPE. OF AERO ENGINE. ’The sergeant agreed that a number of the offences had related to Lord AV'bury’s failure to produce certificates of insurance, or his licence.Tin re were three convictions for exceeding the speed limit in a built-up area. Mr Turner, addressing the Appeals Committee, said: ‘‘l would not say that Lord Avebury had not invited s;o-me attention from the- Bench. 1 think he has asked for it, but I suggest that the sentence imposed goes considerably beyond what he has asked for.”

He submitted that the suspension of the license would fall very heavily, on Lord Avebury, who was now -engaged on a new typo of aero engine, and had to travel an average of 40,000 miles a year visiting firms and aerodromes. Lord Avebury, in the witness-box, said that since his licence had been suspended, he had been obliged to curtail his business calls .by ' 75 per cent., and recently he had had to employ a chauffeur.

Mr Turner: Since this sentence was imposed you have considered your record. Are you pleased with it? — Yes, so far as my driving is concerned. But so far as offences regarding speed limit arc concerned?—No.