DRUNKEN JOY-RIDE

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 803, 25 October 1929, Page 13

DRUNKEN JOY-RIDE

COSTS DRIVER £l7 10/-

S.M’S STRINGENT REMARKS

From Our Own Correspondent OTAHUHU, Today. Mr. F. H. Levien, S.M., delivered reserved judgment at the Otahuhu Court this morning in a case where William Frederick Beechey, aged 25, was charged with being in a state of intoxication while in charge of a car and with dangerous driving on the Great South Road, Papatoetoe, on June 19. Before delivering judgment the Bench said that defendant, with another man and two women, went to the Drury Hotel. There did not appear to bo any justification for the trip as ho disbelieved the evidence given with reference to the party going out to selll the car to the licensee. It was purely a joy ride. On arrival the party had drink, though defendant did not say in evidence how many drinks he "had had. The party, at one stage, started playing leap-frog over thee hairs in the hotel and it appeared that the women had champagne and one smoked a cigar and was ill on the way home. As the party came back the erratic course of the car was noticed by other motorists, one of whom attributed the fact to four people sitting in a threeseater car and expressed the opinion that a woman was driving. When the accident happened and the car came to rest against the r»*?le, riven Ly th»constable, doctor and witnesses all showed that every member of the party was affected by liquor. The doctor said it was difficult to say how much was due to liquor or shock. Shock might increase or decrease the effects of liquor. On a review of the case there was only one conclusion to arrive at. The whole of the evidence pointed to the fact that more liquor had been consumed than was good for them. There was an atmosphere of intemperance and looseness about the whole party and defendant was the worse for liquor. Mr. Burton, for Beechey, made a strong plea for the restoration of accused’s driving licence. He came from England of a very good family and came to New Zealand tinder the schoolboys' scheme and. having been found unsuitable for farming, hg.d been doing various jobs until he found his billet as a car salesman. He had now lost liis job and at present was destitute. He had just started work on a bread van. He asked that a prohibition order be made. The magistrate said there were plenty of opportunities for selling side lines for motor-cars. The public viewed this charge with great disfavour and the accused could not come and say after being convicted that he did not want his licence cancelled. In reply to Mr. Burton, Mr. Levien said ho had heard Beechey’s evidence and had seen him and had a good idea of his make-up. Beechey was fined £lO and ordered to pay court fees of £1 2s and witnesses’s expenses of £6 Ss 6d and his

present licence was cancelled and he was declared incapable of holding a licence for 12 months from this date. He was allowed two months to pa.y. On the charge of dangerous driving he was convicted and discharged and ordered to pay court costs.