MAGISTRATE’S COURT

Press, Volume XCII, Issue 27736, 13 August 1955, Page 2

MAGISTRATE’S COURT

FRIDAY (Before Mr L. N. Ritchie, S.M.) THREE CONVICTIONS For failing to stop after an accident, Oswald Garland Blackler, a retired farmer (Mr K. Gough), was convicted and fined £7. He was also convicted and fined £2 on charges of driving without due care and attention and failing to observe a compulsory stop. Blackler pleaded guilty to all charges. Senior-Sergeant S. J. Anderson said that at 2.15 p.m. on May 21, defendant was driving his car south in Barrington street. Some distance ahead was a car which slowed down after the driver had given a stop signal. Defendant ran into the rear of the car in front and pushed it on for about a chain. The driver of the other car was a woman and suffered minor injuries to her arm in the accident, but defendant drove on without stopping. He was located by the-police that evening. However, only 25 minutes after the incident, defendant failed to observe a compulsory stop, said Senior-Ser-geant. Anderson . He was driving in Foster street and went over the stop and turned left into Clarence road without stopping. A police car was parked on one corner. Its driver saw the incident, gave chase, and apprehended the defendant., A FAILURE TO STOP Richard McGrath, who pleaded guilty, was convicted and fined £7 for failing to stop after an accident. McGrath also pleaded guilty, to a charge of driving without due care and attention. He was Convicted and fined £2. Defendant had been on his way home from a railways smoko at 12.5 a.m. on June 11, when he struck a car correctly parked under a street light in Ferry road, said Senior-Ser-geant S. J. Anderson. The accident occurred in heavy rain and just after defendant had leaned across tc adjust the windshield wiper on the passenger’s side. The passenger told McGrath he had had an accident, McGrath stopped to have a look at his own car, and then drove on. After the facts of the accident had been published in the newspapers, McGrath himself reported to the police station. In a statement to the Magistrate, defendant said he had returned later to the morning to the house outside which the car had been parked hut no-one answered his knock. Two days later he tried again, but with no success. He reported the matter to the insurance company, thinking they would inform the police. “I will accept what you say, but it is most necessary that you stop immediatelv after the accident,” said the Magistrate. “It is no good going back in the morning. A person might have died in the meantime for want of assistance.” DANGEROUS SPEED Peter Snell (Mr W. F. Brown) pleaded guilty to driving a car at a dangerous speed. He was convicted and fined £3 and his driver’s licence was suspended for 28 days. Senior-Sergeant S. J. Anderson said that at 1.20, a.m. on A£ril 23 defendant was driving his car home from a party in Slater street at a speed which he later admitted to be 45 miles an hour. He was driving in the middle of the roadway, and another car, also travelling at-a high speed, came up on his inside and slewed across in front of him. The other car crashed into a fence and defendant’s car mounted the footpath and was badly damaged. Defendant had been apprehended, but the police had been unable to trace the other motorist. Mr Brown said that a mitigating circumstance was that the accident had been caused by the other car. Defendant had already been punished to the extent of £136, the amount he had paid for repairs to his car, which had not been insured. “I will take those facts into consideration,” said the Magistrate. Snell pleaded guilty to a charge of using a car without a warrant of fitness. He was convicted and fined 10s. DRUNKENNESS Beatrice M a X Passells, ageci 67, a charwoman, pleaded guilty to a charge that on August 11 she was drunk In the public office of the Christchurch Central Police Station, having been convicted of drunkenness in the Christchurch Magistrate’s Court the day before. She was convicted and fined £2, in default four days’ imprisonment. TRAFFIC CASES Offenders against the traffic regulations were prosecuted by the police and penalties were imposed as follows: Failing to give way: Raymond Stanley Allfrey, £2; Deryck Morley Burgess, £2; John Shaw Findlay, £2; Owen Robert Firman, £1 10s; Ellen Monica Hill, £2; Ronald Owen Hobbs, costs only (no warrant of fitness, 10s); . John Basil Meeking, £2: Kevin James Scott, £1; Olga Mary Smith, £1 10s: Robert Pettigrew Wakelin, £2 (no warrant of fitness, 10s); Derek Lewis Webley, £1 10s. Drivirig without due care and attention: Beatrice Grace Cook, £2; Joseph Henry Gundry, £2 (no warrant of fitness, £1). No t driver’s licence: Phillip Graeme Cornish, £1; Johanns Bernardus Geradus Delis, costs only (no warrant of fitness, costs only). (Before Mr F. F. Reid, S.M.) NEGLIGENT DRIVING CHARGE DISMISSED James Sheffield Burford, a taxidriver, was charged with driving a motor-car negligently causing the death of George Maxwell Lakin on April 27. He pleaded not guilty and 1 ; the charge was dismissed. Sub-Inspector J. C. Fletcher, who prosecuted, said that Lakin had been riding his motor-cycle in Wainui ; street towards Addington. • He had crashed into a caf, driven by Burford, which was travelling west in Peverel street. After hearing evidence that Lakin had been riding at about 40 miles an hour when the accident happened, the Magistrate said that he had been travelling too fast for a built-up area and he would dismiss the charge : against Burford. Even had a charge : of failing to give way been brought against Burford it cduld not have been ; sustained. i Mr B. McClelland represented Bur- 1 ford. <

(Before Mr Rex C. Abernethy, S.M.) TAXI-DRIVER FINED Noel Reynolds, a taxi-driver, pleaded not guilty to a charge of driving without due care and attention. He was convicted and fined £l. Senior-Sergeant P. Mather prosecuted for the police. Defendant was represented by Mr A. Hearn. Thomas Harris, a cleaner, said that at 4.50 p.m. on June 1 he was riding his cycle south-east in Ferry road and had signalled his intention to make a right-hand turn into Dampier street. He heard the screech of tyres and a taxi-cab coming behind struck his rear wheel lightly and knocked him off. He had not been injured and his cycle was not damaged. Percy Chatterton gave evidence of seeing the accident take place. Harris had made a signal “a good half chain” from the corner but the taxi had struck him in the middle of the road as he was turning. The taxi-driver had abused x Harris. In a statement produced by toe police defendant said that he had seen Harris come on to the road from behind a parked car and cut across the road \to the corner instead of riding up to it and then making a turn. He had swung to the right to avoid the cyclist and had braked. He also sounded his horn but the cyclist took no notice. “There may be repercussions as.far as toe taxi-driver is concerned, but that cannot be helped.” said the Magistrate. “I am satisfied that the cyclist was in the right.’/