Bonded for Driving Under the Influence

Found guilty of driving a motor vehicle whilst under the influence of intoxicating liquor, Frederick George Huggard, of Heathcote (Vic.) was ordered to enter into a £30 good behaviour bond at the Court of Petty Sessions on Wednesday. Period of the bond is 12 months.

A second charge, of negligent driving, was withdrawn upon Hugget undertaking not to appeal against the conviction. Mr. L. R. Mathieson, Stipendiary Magistrate, presided on the Bench.

Barry John Hocking, constable of police stationed at Deniliquin, stated that at about 8 p.m. on December 27 he went to the scene of an accident near the Post Office where he saw defendant and asked him if he were the driver of a truck involved in a collision, and defendant admitted he was, adding he did not see the taxi behind him.

Defendant was swaying slightly on his feet, the constable continued, his breath smelt of intoxicating liquor, he had great difficulty with his words, his face was flushed and his eyes half closed.

Replying to a question by Constable Hocking, defendant had said he had three beers at the Globe Hotel a while previously.

Later, at the lock-up, defendant was told he was entitled to have the services of a doctor, but had replied that he did not want one. To Mr. Colin Shanks ( for Huggard ):

Witness had about three minutes conservation with defendant, and decided after one minute that he was under the influence of liquor. During his 18 months as a police constable he had arrested hundreds of persons for being drunk, but defendant was the second he had arrested for driving under the influence.

Defendant’s eyes were not more closed at the time of his arrest than they were in court, but he was blinking a lot.

Leslie Graham Jenkins gave evidence that on December 27 about 7.50 p.m. he was driving a taxi owned by Mr. C. Hussey down Cressy Street.

A Chevrolet truck was parked almost parallel with the kerbing in front of the Post Office.

Jenkins said that he had just finished parking his vehicle about five feet away from the back of the truck when it started reversing towards him. The truck, driven by Huggard, struck the back of the taxi at a low speed, causing damage estimated at about £5.

Mr. Hussey arrived on the scene, Jenkins said, and told Huggard that he was going to contact the police.

Huggard told the court that he had been on a four day fishing trip with two friends out beyond Old Morago. They had arrived in Deniliquin about two hours before the accident and parked in front of the Post Office. Before going to the Broadway Cafe for a meal, they had gone to the Globe Hotel and had three seven oz. glasses of beer each.

Immediately after their meal they had returned directly to their truck, he said.

Under cross examination by the Police Prosecutor, Huggard denied having told Constable Hocking that he had been at the hotel before returning to the truck, and denied having any other liquor that day.

They had taken 14 bottles of beer with them for the four day trip. Huggard said that, after arriving on the scene, Constable Hocking had talked for several minutes with Jenkins and the owner of the truck, Ron Tranter and walked over to him and said “I think you are under the influence.” He was then taken to the Police Station, Huggard said.

Ron Tranter gave evidence that he had known Huggard for a considerable period and was with him on the fishing trip. “During the whole day,” he said, ” I only left Huggard and the other member of the fishing trip for about ten minutes and the only liquor consumed in my company during the day was three glasses of beer in the Globe Hotel.”

Under cross examination Tranter said that Huggard was perfectly normal and he had been quite happy about letting Huggard drive his truck. He claimed that Huggard was walking in his usual gait. “He walks with a slight roll.” Tranter added, A reference regarding- Huggard’s personal conduct from a Justice of the Peace in Heathcote was tendered to the Court.

At the conclusion of the evidence Mr. Colin Shanks, appearing for Huggard, submitted that Constable Hocking had put the wrong interpretation, on several of Huggard’s physical characteristics. “Huggard habitually walks with a roll, his eyes are naturally half closed all the time and his face was flushed from spending four days out in the open air,” Mr. Shanks stated.

Summing up His Worship said that he did not accept defendant’s story that he only had three glasses of beer. “I have no doubt that the defendant was slightly under the influence of liquor, ” he added.

https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/289604057

Serious Police Shortage

Hard pressed Deniliquin Police are facing a serious shortage, and Sergeant F. Dawson says that from Thursday only one officer will be available to patrol the streets.

New Year we have had ? and with the limited available we can’t possibly ? the work,” ‘Sergeant Dawson said this morning. ? one hectic week. Constable Ryder, who ? relieving Detective ? was on duty continuously for four days, during ? that time he escorted a prisoner to Sydney and returned, all ? and with no sleeper ?. ? have expressed ? with the fact that only ? will be available to patrol the streets.

Recently a business office was inadvertently left open over the weekend and if this occurred again thieves could make off with the contents of the office without any fear of police intervention.

At present there are two police constables and Sergeant Dawson available for duty. However, Constable B. Hocking will be going on leave next Thursday and Constable ( A.B. ) Schiemer # 7643 and Sergeant Dawson will be the only two officers available.

Detective Ryder will return to Wagga on Thursday and Detective D. N. Knight will resume duty.

Sergeant Dawson said that he is still waiting on a lock-up keeper, and another officer to be transferred from Sydney to Deniliquin.

Caught Red-handed By Civilian!

Caught red-handed with a stolen carton of potato chips in the early hours of Sunday morning, a man appeared at the Deniliquin Court of Petty sessions last Tuesday.

He was Anzac Lee Box, who was apprehended by a civilian at 12.30 a.m. on Sunday in front of the Exchange Hotel.

Messrs Dawson Boyd and J. Fleming, J.’sP., presided at Tuesday’s Court.

Mr K. Murray, secretary of the R.S.L. Club, told the court that he went to the club premises last Sunday morning and found two cartons of potato chips were missing. The value of the missing cartons was £3/10/, Mr. Murray said.

In a statement to the court Detective Knight said that when he questioned defendant on the Sunday morning he admitted taking the two cartons. Defendant had told him that he recalled dropping one carton when apprehended by the civilian, and thought he had hidden the other one in the lane, beside the club.

This carton was recovered by Constable Hocking.

Box was convicted and sentenced to 14 days’ hard labour.