POLICE COURT

Southland Times, Issue 22156, 26 October 1933, Page 9

POLICE COURT

YESTERDAY’S SITTING MOTOR CYCLIST FINED £lO. Mr E. C. Levvey, S.M., presided at a sitting of the City Police Court yesterday morning. . For failing to- keep- to- tne left of a traffic dome in his car Thomas A. Nicholson was fined 10/- and costs 10/-..... . . .. Charles-Robinson, 'for riding a cycle at night without lights, was fined 5/and costs 12/-. Edwin W. A. Hughes was ordered to pay costs 10/- for driving . a trade motor truck in a manner dangerous to the public. Arthur Fidler (Mr Eustace Russell) was fined 5/- and costa 10/- for failing to keep to the left while driving a motor car.

Gordon Eade, proceeded against by the city traffic inspector for having no unladen weight painted on the outside of his motor lorry, was convicted and ordered to pay costs 12/-. William G. Cousins, a taxi-driver, pleaded guilty to two breaches of the motor regulations, failing to keep to the left and for driving a. motor car without a driver’s license. He was fined 20/- and costs on each charge. Robert Cloughley was fined £1 and costa 12/- for operating a motor vehicle with inefficient brakes. ./

Wlllihm Brighton pleaded guilty to allowing a cyclist, Oscar Maxted, to attach himself to the car he was driving while it was in motion. Maxted also pleaded guilty to the offence. They were convicted and ordered to pay costs 12/- and 10/- respectively. The Magistrate criticized the offence as a crazy, sort of thing to do. It was the of its . kind to "come before him, but in future he would not treat the matter lightly. . Norman James Moffett, a single man, aged. 22 years, of Limehills, was fined £lo' and disqualified for two years from holding a motor driver’s license for riding a motor-cycle while in a state of intoxication. Mr J. C. Prain appeared for defendant and entered a formal plea of not guilty. Senior-Sergeant Packer said that on Saturday afternoon defendant was riding a motor cycle along the North road and at Earnslaw street collided with the hack of the Makarewa bus. He Was apprehended by the city traffic inspector (Mr E. Stopford), who had been - watching him riding along, arid later taken to the police station where he was examined by Dr. Barclay. The result of the examination led the police to charge defendant with the offence. The doctor’s testimony was handed in. Ernest Stopford gave evidence to the effect that he noticed defendant cycling along in an irregular manner and saw him collide with the bus. He was not riding at any great speed. Witness ordered defendant to stop and interrogated him. He appeared to have been drinking and could not produce his license. Witness then invited defendant to accompany him to the police station.

To Mr Prain: He was only a short distance behind defendant and saw him collide with the back of the bus. Defendant did not fall off his motor cycle. He had been watching defendant for some distance. There was no trouble about defendant . dismounting when ordered to stop, and no trouble whatever in getting him to the police station. He was not seriously drunk, but in witness’s opinion too intoxicated to be in charge of a motor cycle. At this juncture Mr Prain asked leave to withdraw the plea of not guilty and pleaded guilty. He said that Moffett worked at Limehills and chose to come into Invercargill for the Labour Day week-end. On the way in he had some beer at. Wjnton, but his condition could not be regarded' as bad when he rode all the way in from Winton without mishap. As far as the collision was concerned he would say that the bus swerved and he merely stopped his cycle by putting his feet on to the ground. He thus saved himself from colliding. Counsel pleaded for leniency. The Magistrate said that as .he was the first youth to come before him on Buch a charge he would break the rule he had made and would not imprison defendant. Youths would be warned that no distinction would be made in the future, however. They would be treated in the same manner as adults and imprisoned for like offences. Defendant was fined £lO and ordered to pay medical expenses £1 1/-.

A youth, for whom Mr Gordon Reed appeared and whose name was suppressed from publication, pleaded guilty to three charges of the theft of overcoats and a ring, the outcome, it was stated, of a drunken carousal during which accused “raided” some cars parked at the back of a hotel. When arrested he was parading the town in an irresponsible manner bedecked in the stolen clothing. He remembered nothing about the affair. In view of his chance of joining the New, Zealand Navy it was decided to adjourn the question of conviction and..sentence for six months. Detective Hewitt prosecuted.