INTOXICATED IN CHARGE OF CAR

Southland Times, Issue 24650, 23 January 1942, Page 3

INTOXICATED IN CHARGE OF CAR

YOUNG MAN FINED £5 Alexander Calderwood, aged 20, was convicted in the Magistrate’s Court yesterday afternoon before Mr R. _C. Abernethy, S.M., on a charge of being intoxicated in charge of a motorvehicle. The case had been remanded from January 14. Calderwood, who pleaded guilty, was represented by Mr J. C. Prain. Senior-Sergeant W. T. Kelly stated that at 12.25 on the morning of January 14 a taxi driven by Daniel Hopkins was proceeding north along the Bluff road towards the Clyde street railway station. As he was approaching the turn towards Clyde street, Hopkins saw a car which had no light coming towards him. As he reached it, the car swerved into him, striking the rear half of the taxi. Both cars were swung across the road. Hopkins got out of the taxi and went towards the other car. As he approached it, Calderwood fell out on to the road. Hopkins had said that Calderwood was practically drunk and not in a fit state to drive. Calderwood told Hopkins that he would fix everything up, but Hopkins was not satisfied with this. He went away to obtain Constable Harris. On going to Calderwood’s home at Panton street, Constable Harris found him asleep. He had considerable difficulty in awakening him and was roundly abused. Dr Pottinger examined Calderwood at the police station and found him in no fit condition to drive a car. The case was a distressing one, Mr Prain said, because of the youth of the accused., Calderwood had been working at Makarewa freezing works for about a year. He had bought a car to get in and out, taking fellow-workers with him. On the night of the offence they had been working overtime. He had had a beer after work, had dropped his passengers, and was proceeding home when the accident occurred. There,was something wrong with the ignition, so that his lights were going on and off. He thought that they were on at the time of the accident. He was handling the switch in an attempt to get the car to pick up, and this was why he had swerved. He was not on his wrong side at the time. Repairs to the taxi would cost £6O 18/-, said Mr Prain, and Calderwood s own car was out of action. He had not been insured and was faced with considerable expenditure. He had not been in trouble before. Calderwood had been foolish, ana might have had someone’s life on his hands, said the Magistrate. Driving a car was now a privilege, which in this case had been abused. Considering the expenditure which Calderwood was facing, he would fine him £5, plus medical expenses 12/6 and costs 3/-, and cancel his licence and disqualify him from renewing it for three years.