MOTORIST FINED £20

Southland Times, Issue 23987, 30 November 1939, Page 9

MOTORIST FINED £20

INTOXICATION CHARGE LICENCE CANCELLED FOR ONE YEAR A fine of £2O, in default 14 days’imprisonment, was imposed on Cyril Dixon, aged 29 years, an engineer of Makarewa, when he was charged m the Magistrate’s Court yesterday morning, before Mr R. C. Abernethy, S.M., with being intoxicated while in-charge of a motor-car. His driving licence was also cancelled for 12 months. The defendant, who was represented by Mr Eustace Russell, pleaded guilty. o Outlining the facts, Senior-Sergeant W Kelly, said that at 7.10 p.m. on Saturday last a motor-car was being driven along the road to Oreti Beach. Reaching the centre of the intersection of the beach road and the Otatara road, the driver noticed the defendant s car travelling south along the Otatara road at a fairly fast pace. The driver accelerated and at the same time the defendant turned sharply to his left but struck the other car a glancing blow, damaging the car slightly. He then turned sharply to his right and went over to his wrong side of the road into a ditch. He stopped about 132 feet from the point of impact. Inspector Ireton and Constable Scholium were called to the scene and found the defendant sitting at the side of the ditch. He smelled strongly of liquor and was slightly unsteady on his feet. He was unable to give a coherent account of his movements. In their opinion he was unnt to be in charge of a car. For the defence Mr Russell said the defendant had called at the Wallacetown hotel that day with some friends and had taken a few drinks. It was one of those celebrations known as “wetting the baby’s head.” The defendant probably was not aware of the effect the drinks would have. He had a good character and belonged to a respectable, well-known family. The defendant was fined as stated, with costs 12/6.