Magistrates Court WOMAN FINED £20 FOR DANGEROUS DRIVING

Press, Volume XCIX, Issue 29366, 19 November 1960, Page 4

Magistrates Court WOMAN FINED £20 FOR DANGEROUS DRIVING

A 21-year-old typist, Elaine Ruth Alison, had driven her car through Cathedral square,, abreast of a motor-cyclist who was pacing her, and along Oxford terrace, and Hagley avenue to her home in Grove road at speeds ranging from an estimated 40 to 55 miles an hour, said Sergeant E. S. Tuck in the Magistrate’s Court yesterday. Alison, who pleaded guilty to a charge of dangerous driving arising from the incident, was fined £2O and had her driving licence cancelled for a year. “Anyone who drives in city streets in the manner you did is guilty of dangerous driving,” said Mr A. P. Blair, S.M. Sergeant Tuck said a police car driver saw Alison and the motorcyclist drive through Cathedral square abreast and into Worcester street at about 40 miles an hour. Alison drove her car along the middle of the road in Worcester street, and turned into Oxford terrace. She travelled over the Hereford, Cashel, and Montreal streets intersections, and along Hagley avenue to Grove road at speeds estimated at between 45 and 55 miles an hour. ' , '* “When interviewed when she stopped outside her home she said she could not say at what speed she had been travelling,” Sergeant Tuck said. “The manner in which she crossed the intersections was considered to be very dangerous, and the motor-cyclist endangered himself by not wearing a safety helmet.” he said. Mr J. B. Williams, who appeared for Alison, said the charge in essence amounted to one of exceeding the speed,. limit. The offence took' place in the early hours of the morning when there was little or no traffic about, and there was no suggestion that she crossed intersections against the lights. x The motor-cyclist, John Albert Olin, who did not appear, was also fined £2O and had his driving licence cancelled for a year on a charge of dangerous driving. On another charge of having no safety helmet he was fined £2. Constable P. Maindonald, driver of the police car, said Olin rode at a high speed through the Square with the . car. and turned into Oxford terrace behind it. Along Oxford terrace he drew away from the car. travelling at about 40 miles an hour, and along Hagley avenue slowed down to let the car pass him. “Further along the road I was doing 50 miles an hour and they were both drawing away from me,” the constable said. "At one stage Olin’s lights were not working.” When stopped Olin said his speedometer was not working, Constable Maindonald said. £l6 TN FINES Crashing into a fence in Stapletons road on September 9 after his car had got out of control. Anthony Patrick Canovan, aged 19. did not stop to report the damage as he had no current driver’s licence, said Canovan in a statement to the police. Canovan. who did not appear, was convicted and fined £ 10 and his driver’s licence cancelled for one year on a charge of driving without due care.. He was fined £3 on each charge of failing to report damage and having no driver’s licence. He was ordered to -make restitution of £lO for costs of repairs to the fence. SHIP DESERTER Gerald Bell, a seaman, who had already been in custody for two months after being convicted of deserting from the "tanker British Captain at Bluff on February 26. was remanded to January 18 pending denortatien. He was granted bail of £lOO in his own recognisance witlj_a similar surety, and was ordered to report twice weekly to the police. Mr J. R. Woodward, for the shipping company concerned, said it had been difficult to fipd a position for Bell on another tanker, but it was likely that he eould be placed on a vessel which would be departing: during the remand period. He said ♦hern was no objection to bail for Bell so lone as he was available to be placed on this ship. REMANDED On a charge of false pretences on November 12. Trevor Jack Laby, aged 25. was remanded in custody to November 24. ■?’ Vera Irene Mary Cnrwen. aged 52 (Mr. D. W. Russell)- was remanded to November 28 on a charge of driving while under the influence of liquor on November 17. She was allowed bail at £5O, with a similar surety. Two charges against Graeme Joseph Stewart (Mr B. J. Drake) of negligent driving causing the deaths of Janies Peter Pooolewell and Alan James Bailey at Templeton on , August 8. were adjourned to January 18 for the taking of depositions. A charge against Bar-y Hens’owe Cheesman (Mr P. G. S. Penlington) of negligent driving causing the death of Lawrence Graham Nicol on September 9 was adiourned to December 14 when Cheesman elected trial by iffT- Charges of operating a vehicle likely to cause injury and

having no warrant of fitness were also adjourned. TRAFFIC CASES On traffic charges brought by the police, offenders were dealt with as follows: Driving without due care: Horace Dillon, £4; Kati Elizabeth Berkett, £3; Randall Kennedy Litten, £5; Leonard Hare, £lO and driver’s licence suspended for three months; Istvan Kanter, £4; Jill Powell. £5. Failing to give way: Vena May McKay, £5; Robin Alfred Blowers, £5; Robert Combe, £3; John Alastair Hastie, £5; Morris Victor Hume, £5 (no warrant of fitness, 10s); Kenneth William Woodcock, £4 (unsafe load, £6); Mildred Mary Shadbolt, £6 and driver’s licence suspended for three months (no warrant of fitness, £1); Nancy Edelweiss McIntosh, £5; Gwendoline Malzard, £5; Eric Kinnersley Sabine Pasley, £5. No warrant of fitness: Keith Henry Meaclem, 10s; Patrick Leslie Plunket, £1 (unlicensed vehicle, £4); Donald Leslie Sunborn, £1 (unlicensed vehicle, £4; unauthorised, number plate. £1; driving vehicle not specified on driver’s licence, convicted and discharged): Adrian White, £1 (driving vehicle not specified on driver’s licence, £3). Insufficient lights: Malcolm Robert Kinnaird, £2 (altering driver’s licence, £5). (Before Mr E. A. Lee, S.M.) DRIVING CHARGE REDUCED A charge against, Herbert Erasmus Baxter, aged .48, a Ministry of Works Overseer, of negligent driving causing injury in Evelyn Cduzms avenue on AUgust 10 was reduced by the .Magistrate to one of driving yithout .due care and attention. ' .... Baxter (Mr A. Hearn) was fined £l5 on the reduced charge. Evidence was given that Baxter’s van drove partly over onto its incorrect side of the road to pass three schoolgirl cyclists and struck an approaching powercydist who was travelling on his correct side of the road. The power-cyclist, John Lawrence Julian, was injured. Baxter, in evidence, said he decided to pass the three cyclists, two of whom were abreast and the other slightly forward. When he saw the power-cyclist come round a bend in the road he tried to pull to the left to avoid him but the power-cycle struck the driver’s door.

The Magistrate said Baxter had not exercised proper care, in pulling over onto his wrong side when his vision ahead was limited. There were, however, none of the graver elements of negligence, and he was travelling nt a moderate speed. OTHER TRAFFIC CHARGES Arthur Norman Webb, aged 40, a storeman packer, was convicted and fined £7 10s on a charge of driving without due care in Hargood street on September 10. Webb, who was represented by Mr B. P. Field, pleaded not guilty. "■ : , Raymond John Cox was fined £2 for passing at an intersection. He pleaded not guilty. For failing to stop, Frederick John Grace, who pleaded not guilty, was fined £5 and his driver’s licence was suspended for one month. (Before Mr Raymond Ferner, S.M.) DROVE WITHOUT CARE Alfred Cecil Sturt was convicted ahd fined £3 on a charge of driving without due eare on August 8. Sturt, who pleaded not guilty, was represented by Mr A. R. Cottrell.