A NEGLIGENT DRIVER

Otago Daily Times, Issue 23504, 19 May 1938, Page 6

A NEGLIGENT DRIVER

BENTENCE OF IMPRISONMENT

SUGGESTION OF ' WAR STRAIN JUDGE'S STERN COMMENT (Special to . Daily Times) . CHRISTCHURCH, May 18. Found guilty yesterday of negligently driving a motor, car on Marshland road on February 24, thereby causing the death of Joseph Quinn, Kaspar Gray Webley, was this morning sentenced by, Mr Justice Northcroft to six months' imprisonment with hard labour. On the prisoner's behalf, Mr D. W. Rus■ell said that Webley was 39 years of age, and was a married man with six children. He went to the war at the age of 16 and won the Military Medal for repairing telephone lines under fire while attached to headquarters as a runner and a linesman. He served three years and 36 weeks, and it might be that the trouble he had got into was the result of the strain he then underwent at so early an age. Webley had taken no liquor since the accident.

That Webley had served his country well during the war, said his Honor, was no justification for his irresponsibility as a citizen so many years later. " You have been twice convicted," said his Honor, "once for mischief, and once for being intoxicated in charge of a car. You have had those warnings and also those of the courts where it has been repeatedly stated that deterrent measures must be taken to check the appalling loss of life on the roads. Not only that, but on this occasion, you had the specific warning of a constable who told you not to drive your car, and thai! of Mr Turner. Despite those warnings you went oft* in your car in your intoxicated condition, and dealt death to thj.s unfortunate man whom you meron the road. I would* not be doing my 1 duty if I did not sentence you, as I do now, to six months' imprisonment with hard labour." ' , Since Webley had shown himselJ: to be so irresponsible, his Honor added, as to be unfit to have charge of a car, his driving licence would be cancelled and he would be debarred from holding one for five years. . /