COLLISION SEQUEL

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXVI, Issue 23356, 26 May 1939, Page 17

COLLISION SEQUEL

INTOXICATION CHARGE MDTORIST FINED 425 NO LICENCE FOR YEAR [FROM ouh OWN CORRESPONDENTj HAMILTON, Thursday A charge of being intoxicated while in charge of a car aviis preferred against Fergus lan Fail-brother, aged 41, stock buyer, of Cambridge (.Mr. Johnson), in the Hamilton Police Court to-day, before Mr. S. L. Patersun, S.IM. Accused pleaded guilty. Senior-Sergeant G. H. Lambert said that wlien returning from the Te Papa races to Cambridge on Saturday evening accused collided with a service bus at Hillcrest. Considerable damage was done to the bus. The collision occurred on accused's wrong side of the road. When arrested he was found to be intoxicated. Hoy O'Donohue and Harold Windsor said that when they saw accused at the races lute on Saturday afternoon he was quite sober. Dr. M. A. Stewart described accused | as mildly intoxicated when he saw him after his arrest. He said it was a border-line case." If accused had suffered recently from concussion his degree of tolerance would bo lessened by alcohol. Alexander filler, stock dealer, described accused as a man of temperate habits and said it was essential to his work that he should have a driver's licence. Accused suffered severe concussion in November. Mr. Johnson said accused had driven, a car for 20 years and had not been in trouble of any kind before. He had driven under the most difficult conditions from Te Rapa to Hamilton after the races, and it was only after leaving the town that he met trouble. The magistrate said the potentialities arising out of such offences were very great indeed. The only consideration which restrained him from sending accused to prison was that lie had been ill. He did not see any reason for departing from the usual rule, and suspended accused's licence. Accused was fined £25 and prohibited from holding a driver's licence until June 1, 1940.