“VERY BAD CASE"

Hokitika Guardian, 21 July 1936, Page 4

“VERY BAD CASE"

- 44* - DRUNKEN DRIVER FINED £75. MAGISTRATE SOUNDS WARNING. (Per, Press Association, —Copyright). CHRISTCHURCH, July 31. In the Magistrate’s Court yesterday when Stanley Steen Middleton was fined £75 and delicensed on a charge of intoxication Sub-Inspector Mac Lean outlined the facts of the case. He said accused hfid taken a great deal of liquor, and was in an advanced: state of drunkenness. Hp was driving - a ,milk motor-van down Ferry Road on the evening of July 10, and had knocked over a cyclist, almost cutting the cycle, in two. If . accused had entered another plea, .he would have called evidence to show he was travelling at fifty miles an hour. Accused then swerved past a stationary tram, the Sub-Inspector continued. In doing struck a girl who was just dismounting. The conductor saw the car approaching' and shouted: “Look out!” The girl pressed against the tram but the tail of the l van struck her laps, injuring them. No bbnes were broken. Middleton was most violent when placed in the cell. Accused had never been before the court before, but the Sub-Inspector understood that)-he was addicted to liquor. - : : Counsel said accused was a married man, aged 35, with three children. He had been manager of a dairy, farm at ’Sumner for the jpast nine years. He drove a truck, which-was necessary for his business,, but he had never had an i accident. On’ the day in question, Middleton commenced ' work at . 4 a.m., -,j did a full day’s work, and had no tea. Just before, going to town he had one glass of whisky and two -glasses of beer. He was in a poor state of . health, and it seemed that he was in a state of health in which drink had a serious effect. • Middleton, he said, had endeavour" ed to pass a-tram before it stopped, and it seemed he committed a very grave error of judgment. “It seems to the Court that these cases are steadily forcing the position in which legislation will have to be passed removing. any chance of fines in these matters,” said the Magistrate (Mr E: C. Levvy) in imposing, the fine. “If a man takes liouor and commits aggravated assault, for some reason or other, there, is no option. But these cases seem in a category by themselves. Why, I do not know. - Very shortly the Court will have to treat • these matters with no option, but I do not wish to have to take this stand yet., _ « , .■* , ' “This is really , a very bad cas'e, . and one finds difficulty: in-adjusting the. penalty to the, gravity of the offence,” said, thev Magistrate in im- . posing a fine of £7g, and endorsing his license and suspending it for two years. ~ ' ANOTHER OFFENDER FINED £lO. WELLINGTON, July 20. Arising from a collision between a car and a truck near Ngahauranga on Saturday evening, Peter Wotherspoon, aged 44, works manager, was charged before Mr Stilwell, S.M., to-day, with intoxication in charge of a car, and assault on the Chinese driver of a truck. He pleaded guilty to both charges. . The police prosecution stated that when the Chinese produced a notebook to take the number of his car, accused knocked him down. Accused was told by a constable to pull into the side of the road, but he drove off. He was later stopped, and a doctor pronounced him, unfit to drive. On the intoxication charge, accused was fined £lO and prohibited from holding a license for six months. On the second charge he was fined £3. MAGISTRATE’S COMMENT. . • AUCKLAND, July 20. When three motorists were charged in the Police Court with being in charge of cars when in a state of intoxication, Magistrate W. R. McKean commented on the ; great increases in this class of offence; and he suggested a special division of prison. A strange coincidence was that two men hit the same end of the same safety zone, and both injured their noses. “The penalties imposed during the past few weeks apparently have not acted as a deterrent,” said Mr McKean in dealing with one accused. “I have said I would increase them. There have been fifteen convictions since Tuly 1, for this offence. I shall have to consider ftnprisonmentj but on account,of his healtK I do not want to send’him to prison. If there was a separate division in the prison, 1 would ha\e no hesitation in doing so, but, separate division or no separate division I will have to do it sooner or later, for this sort of offence, as fines do not seem to have any effect. The only other thing to do is to increase the period of suspension of licenses.” •