Magistrate's Court HIT-AND-RUN DRIVER ADMITS THREE CHARGES

Press, Volume CII, Issue 30211, 16 August 1963, Page 20

Magistrate's Court HIT-AND-RUN DRIVER ADMITS THREE CHARGES

After striking a pedestrian in Montreal street on May 2, Douglas Raymond Richards reached a speed of 65 miles an hour before he was stopped, said Sergeant V. F. Townshend in the Magistrate’s Court yesterday. Richards, aged 23, a company representative, pleaded guilty before Mr A. P. Blair. S.M., to charges of driving at a dangerous speed and causing bodily injury, failing to ascertain whether any person was injured after an accident .and failing to stop after an accident. He was convicted on all charges and remanded on bail until August 26 for sentence. Mr B.

McClelland represented the accused. Sergeant Townshend said that at 10.25 p.m. on May 2 the accused was driving south in Montreal street. His speed exceeded 30 miles an hour. Near the intersection of Worcester street he hit a pedestrian, Frederick George Briggs, a former Mayor of Lyttelton, who was crossing the road. Richards neither slackened speed nor attempted to stop. Another motorist pursued the accused, but although he reached a speed of 65 miles an hour could not catch the accused. The accused went against the traffic lights at the intersection of Tuam street and Hagley avenue. The motorist eventually stopped the accused in Blenheim road after the accused had hit a parked car. The accused denied he had been involved in the accident. Briggs, who was unconscious when taken to hospital, suffered severe bruising to thighs and legs. At the time of the accident visibility was good.

At 2 p.m. on May 3 the i accused was located and interviewed. said Sergeant Townshend. He admitted being involved in the accident and said he was travelling between 35 and 39 miles an hour. Just as he was crossing Worcester street he saw a dark form in front of him and then heard a sickening thud. He realised he had hit someone, but panicked and drove on. REMANDED On a charge of inducing a girl aged eight to commit an indecent act on him on August 8, a man whose name was suppressed was remanded on bail until September 4. He elected trial by jury. John Evans, aged 28, was remanded until August 23 on a charge that, being a suspected person, he frequented a public place at South Brighton on August 14 with felonious intent. Charged with attempting unlawfully to take a motor-vehicle on August 14, Raymond John Stokes, aged 17, was remanded on bail until August 23. CHARGES DENIED On a charge of failing to give way to the right in Cathedral square on March 9, Terehunga Taurua, a soldier, was convicted and ordered to pay costs and witnesses’ expenses. A further charge of failing to stop after an accident on the same date was dismissed. Taurua (Mr P. G. S. Penlington) pleaded guilty to both charges. CHARGE DISMISSED A charge of careless driving causing bodily injury, against Harold John Beams a workman was dismissed. Beams pleaded not guilty, and was represented by Mr M. J. Glue. The charge arose from an accident in which a car driven by Beams struck a stationary cyclist in Ferry road on May 11. FINED £7 In a reserved decision the Magistrate convicted George Robertson Hilton, of driving without consideration for other road users on December 8. and fined him £7 OTHER TRAFFIC CHARGES In other charges brought by the police, convictions were entered and fines imposed as follows : Using motor-vehicle carelessly: Herbert James Wilson, £l5 (failing to report damage within 48 hours, £8): Arthur Franklin John Hutt, £8; Roy Dennis Marshall, £3. Using power-cycle carelessly: Bede Warren Boland. £5 (no driver’s licence £2); Bay VanNguyen, £2. Failing to give way: James Edward Donaldson. £5: Colin James Russell, £5; Barbara Frances Alldredd, £2. Failing to signal intention to turn right: Selwyn Mcllroy Watson, £3. Opening car door causing injury to cyclist: Kevin Francis Hooper. £3. No warrant of fitness: Jeannie lona Pierce, 10s. Driving without due care and attention: Mark Doyle, £lO. (Before Mr E. A. Lee, S.M.) FAILED TO STOP AFTER ACCIDENT After colliding with an oncoming car on the Causeway on May 24, Ivan Joseph Clifford Dick continued on. hardly altering his speed, the Court was told. Dick, a railway surfaceman (Mr S. H. Wood) was convicted and fined £l2 on a charge of dangerous driving, and £lO on a charge of failing to stop after an accident. He was also prohibited from driving for a year. He pleaded not guilty to both

charges. Maurice Wootton, a signwriter. said he was driving along the Causeway at about 30 miles an hour when Dick, coming towards him. swung to the wrong side of the road, and collided with his vehicle. A passing motorist stopped, and they found Dick's car stopped by another motorist a quarter to half a mile away. Dick would not say anything except that his name was Dick. He appeared intoxicated. Johannes Jespersen said he was driving behind Dick. When the collision occurred, most of Dick's car was on the wrong side of the road. After the collision Dick carried on at about the same speed of 30 miles an hour. The witness said he brought Dick to a stop by following and sounding his horn. Mr Wood said that Dick was guilty of bad driving, but it was not bad enough to fit the charges. It was a bad night with rain, and Dick was confused by lights. There was no suggestion of wild driving, Mr Wood said. All Dick did was to swerve over the white line. His failure to stop immediately was partly a result of the density of the traffic. The consequences of what Dick did were extremely dangerous, the Magistrate said. It seemed that Dick would have continued to go away from the accident if another motorist had not stopped him. CARELESS DRIVING A girl aged 14. Jennifer Jean Goodrich, was convicted of driving in a careless manner. She pleaded not guilty. She was ordered to pay costs, and was prohibited from obtaining a driver’s licence for nine months. On a charge of having no driving licence, to which she pleaded guilty, she was convicted and discharged. The charge arose out of a collision with a truck at an inter-

section at Coalgate on May 26. in which the car Goodrich' was driving rolled over four times. The driver of the truck. Selwyn Mcllroy Watson, a farmer, admitted giving no hand signal? Goodrich said site was driving behind the truck. It slowed, and she thought it was going to stop. She then moved out to overtake it. and it swung to the right in front of her. Mr A. R. Cottrell, for Goodrich, said there was no evidence that her driving was careless. Although Watson committed an offence this did not excuse Goodrich, the Magistrate said. She was clearly attempting to overtake on the intersection, and this was careless. FINED £lO Graham Edward Pike was fined £lO for failing to keep as far as practicable to the left of the road. Pike (Mr A.

Hearn) pleaded not guilty. The charge had been amended by the Magistrate from one of driving without due care and attention. It arose out of a collision on the Main North road at Belfast on April 20. OTHER TRAFFIC CASES In traffic cases brought by tile Transport Department, the following were convicted and fined:— Speeding.—Graham Marshall Rutherford, £4; Eleanor Ruth Bucklev. £4; Robert Henry Sutherland, £5: Gregory John Archer, £2; Dennis Basil Bell. £4: Athol James Briden. £3; Roger Dempsey. £4; James Albert Douglas. £5; Raymond Leslie Drury, £4; Norman Forward. £4: Allan Edward Gore, £4; Barbara Helen Haile, £4; James Stuart Heard. £4; Henry’ Alfred Holmes, £6; Sylvia Florence Hughey, £4; Walter Ernest Jeffs, £4: Alfred James Jones, £5; Roger Bryce Keenan. £4; Dirk Kliffen. £2; Douglas Campbell McCausland, £5; Percival Bruce McDowell. £4- Frederick William Manhire. £2; James Matthews, £3; Douglas Maze, £4: Irene Mitchell, £4; Norman Phillip Munroe. £2; Raymond Bert Pidgeon, £3: Peter Brown. £4; John James Burrows, £2; David Henry Butcher. £2; Alan Hector Carlton. £5; William Charlton, £5; Stanley Vivian Crisp. £4; Doris Isobel Civil, £5: Desmond Frederick Clark. £4; Peter David Collins, £4: Jeffrey Conrad Craddock, £4; Lucy Emily Crooks. £4: Joan Margaret Smeeks. £4: Colin Henry Thiele. £3: Leonard William Tippett, £3; Graeme Robert Culling, £l. .. No warrant of fitness: Albert Clarence Jordon. £3; Thomas Arthur Parker, £3 (lights wrongly adjusted, £3). Overtaking in no-passing area: Donald Kenneth Crump.

£3 and prohibited from driving for one month. Failing to stop at compulsory stop: Edwin George Hains. £1: John Swinton. £3; Keith Thomson. £3. Riding bicycle carelessly: Garry Raymond Benson, £l. Driving detective vehicle: Graeme James Cosgrove. £5. Riding motor-cycle with defective silence: Daniel Bernard McGowan, £3. Failing to wear spectacles while driving: Moutree Taranurak, £2. Permitting use of unlicensed vehicle: Charles Ownsworth. £5. No certificate of fitness: Ryan Bros., Ltd., £6. (Before Mr H. Rosen, S.M.) CHARGE DISMISSED A charge against Ronald Thomas Hunter, a police constable. of using a car without reasonable consideration for other road users on June 21 was dismissed. He pleaded not guilty, and was represented by Mr A Hearn. The charge arose out of an accident between a car driven by William Alfred Gibbs and a police car. driven by Hunter, which was parked In Yaldhurst road near Racecourse road at night. In a statement Hunter said that it was noticed that one of the drums marking some roadworks had been knocked over. He direce.’d the head-lights on to the area while the drum was righted by Constable W. Grey A car approached from the west at about 60 miles an hour, struck the police car. and went through a fence. Asking for the charge to be dismissed, Mr Hearn said that if the car driven by Gibbs had not struck the police car it would have hit the drums. The accident was caused by Gibbs's failure to keep a proper lookout. There were some doubts as to where the police car was parked, so the charge would be dismissed, the Magistrate said. FINED £lO On a charge of failing to comply with traffic-control lights on June 6. Douglas Leon Carroll was convicted and fined £lO. He pleaded not guilty, and was represented by Mr L. H. Moore. CHARGE DENIED James Errol Trowbridge was convicted and fined £lO on a charge of failing to give way at a pedestrian crossing on June 24. He pleaded not guilty and was represented by Mr R. B Shand.

(Before Mr K H. J. Headifen. S.M.) NO WARRANT OF FITNESS Edwin John Worthington was convicted and fined 10s on a charge of having no warrant of fitness on June 22. A charge against Worthington of leaving an unlighted tractor in Marshland road at night when it was not clearly visible 150 ft away was dismissed.

Worthington, who was represented by Mr B. A. Barrer. pleaded not guilty to both charges. Evidence was given that a boy ran into the tractor about 6 p.m. when riding his bicycle. He suffered minor Injuries.