MISSPELT NAME

Press, Volume CXV, Issue 33816, 12 April 1975, Page 17

MISSPELT NAME

| Conviction quashed Because of the misspelling! -of a name on a certificate of! la specimen of blood taken! I from a person who was; [admitted to the Christchurch I Hospital after a motor accident, an appeal against a j conviction for driving with excess blood alcohol has been upheld in a reserved decision given by Mr Justice Roper in the Supreme Court yesterday. His Honour quashed a! conviction of David Solomon I Watts, aged 32, a driver, by I Mr H. J. Evans, S.M., in the' Christchurch Magistrate’s i Court on a charge of driving with excess blood alcohol on

,-St. John’s Road on May 30.1 J H974. Mr R. J. Murfi’t appeared .. for Mr Watts and Mr N. W.s [Williamson for the Crown. His Honour said that the’[spelling on the certificate) ! gave the name as Watt, (whereas the appellant’s real' j'nanie was Watts. It was submitted that the-' did not have the fisame name as that of appel[lant. The nurse who took; pthe specimen was unable in vCourt to identify the appel-; ■'lant as the person from! 'iwhom she took the blood; I specimen, as she had taken) J several blood specimens on ;| that night. 'I The real difficulty was! J that there was some" doubt ' Jfrom her evidence as to ; ';where she got the name iWatt, which she wrote on; her certificate and on the (blood specimen bottles. “On one view of her evi-i idence she did not get the' [information from the person I from whom she took the; I specimen, but from a hospi-1 I tai record card. If it did: [come from such a card then I must agree with Mr' Murfitt that there is nothing; in the evidence to link the card which bore the appel-' lant’s misspelt name with! the person from whom she, [took the specimen,” said his! 'Honour.