CAR OWNER FINED.

Manawatu Standard, Volume LIX, Issue 47, 24 January 1939, Page 9

CAR OWNER FINED.

UNUSUAL CASE

Per Press Association. DUNEDIN, Jan. 23.

Found on Saturday night by a traffic inspector in Carroll Street sitting in the hack seat of his motor-car, Herbert John Louslev was ordered from the vehicle and certified by a doctor as being drunk. Louslev, who was represented by Mr A. G. Neill, admitted the charge. Sergeant Loan said that the traffic inspector found defendant in the back seat of the car and his son (12 years of age) in the front seat. Louslev said that he himself owned the vehicle, but his son was driving it. It was a considerable time before the inspector eoukl coax defendant out of the car. He was examined at the police station by a doctor and certified as being unfit to drive. There were three bottles of beer, a bottle of gin and a bottle of ginger ale in the vehicle. ' Mr Neill said that both Louslev’s sons had been taught to drive, though the younger one was not eligible to hold a driver’s license because of his age. Defendant had not driven at any stage on Saturday, and in the evening he had got his son to take him to a friend’s home. This was a class of case distinct from the ordinary for had Lousley’s son held a license there probably would not have been this charge. The Magistrate said there was no reason to disbelieve the explanation that Lousley was being driven by his young son. This was certainly not an ordinary ease, defendant being in the back seat. However, lie was in charge of the vehicle and apparently he was in such a state that lie might have insisted on driving. He should not have been in the vehicle at all. Lousley was fined £lO and costs £3 2s and his license was cancelled for three months.