FINE IMPOSED

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXV, Issue 23200, 21 November 1938, Page 14

FINE IMPOSED

INTOXICATED IN TRUCK VEHICLE RUNS INTO BANK SOLD FOR £2 AS JUNK [fkom our own* coukespondent] PUKEKOHE, Sunday A charge of being intoxicated in charge of a motor-truck on Friday afternoon on. tho Bombay deviation was admitted by George Barrett, labourer, aged 4<l, in the Pukekohe Police Court yesterday, before Mr. D. McC. Armstrong and Mr. J. Patterson, J.P.'s. Ho also admitted having no driver's licence rind no warrant of fitness for tho vehicle. Sergeant AY. Grainger said a traffic inspector, Mr. W. Wilson, 'came upon tho truck a I'oav minutes after it had collided with a bank. The tyre was off the right front wheel. Accused was standing by tho vehicle, and admitted ho was in charge of it. Ho said ho had run into the bank because he was afraid ho would not negotiate a bend ahead on tho road. Ho said ho had had four beers. Plea by Accused At tho Pukekohe police station a doctor certified that accused was intoxicated. The vehicle had since been towed to Pukekohe and sold for £2 as junk. Accused' had been recently released "from prison, tl\o sergeant added. He had bought tho truck for £lO at Newmarket. Accused made a plea that he bo not sent back to gaol. He said that sinco being released ho had been working. ITe was on his way to a job at Matamata when the truck ran into the bank. He had spent the last eight year;* in gaol. It was not the amount of liquor ho took, but the way it affected him, that was the trouble. Views ol Bench Tho Bench stressed that they were very strongly of the opinion that anyone driving a vehicle on the public highway while intoxicated should be imprisoned. However, in view of the fact that accused had spent eight Christmases in gaol and had also lost his vehicle, they were prepared to temper justice with mercy to enable him to continue to Matainata to his job. A fine of £5 was imposed and accused was ordered to pay tho doctor's fee, £1 Is, and £1 Is incurred in towing the lorry off the road. He was prohibited from holding a driver's licence for two years. He also took out a prohibition order against himself. He was convicted and discharged for not having a driver's licence and warrant of fitness.