Crown asked to pay damages

Press, 13 April 1978, Page 3

Crown asked to pay damages

; PA Wellington The Crown Law office is looking into the possibility of the Crown’s paying part of the $4OOO damages awarded to the millionaire property owner, Robert Jones, in his case against Traffic Officer Kenneth K. McLeod.

A jury in the supreme court at Wellington on Tuesday awarded the damages in respect of Mr Jones’s claim for unlawful detention. It also awarded Mr McLeod $2500 in his claim against Mr Jones for defamation.

Mr McLeod’s solicitors have approached the Ministry of Transport for assistance in paying the damages, and the Ministry has referred the matter to the Crown Law Office.

Mr Justice Ongley reserved the question of costs in the case.

Legal sources yesterday estimated that the total cost

l for both plaintiffs would be at least $25,000, almost twothirds of this being incurred by Mr Jones.

The Ministry’s Wellington city traffic superintendent (Mr J. C. Butterfield) said ■yesterday that Traffic Officer McLeod remained on his normal duties. He said he knew' of the court proceedings only by hearsay, so “at this stage I am not aware of any misdemeanours.” “If we find from the findings of the Court that there was something amiss in our system, we would make improvements,” he said. “We may find w'e need training sessions in a certain section.”

Mr Butterfield said that by “section” he meant such things as approach to the public, in the case of the officer involved. The court action arose from an incident in 1975 involving Mr McLeod while

Mr Jones was driving to a radio talk-back show of which he was host. Mr McLeod’s action arose from comments, including that he was “loathsome” and “disgusting,” broadcast on the showMr Jones was awarded $4OOO of the $15,000 he sought for unlawful detention by Mr McLeoad.

Mr McLeod was awarded $2500 of the $32,000 he sought from Mr Jones for defamation. Mr McLeod refused to comment yesterday, but Mr Jones said he thought the Verdict was “a pretty good one” and “very fair.”

He likened the case to a boxing match — he is a boxing promoter — after which he and his adversary had shaken hands.

“It was very much like a boxing match. You are in there chucking a lot of punches, but the animosity disappears at the end.”