TRAFFIC SIGNAL DISPUTE

Evening Star, Issue 21783, 27 July 1934, Page 8

TRAFFIC SIGNAL DISPUTE

MOTORIST AND CONSTABLE OSWALD •* WOULD SWEAR HIS LIFE AWAY " An allegation that the driver of a car said that he and his two companions would swear Constable Oswald’s “ life a Way ” was made in the Police Court this morning, when Charles Gerald Green pleaded not guilty to a charge ot failing to stop at the signal of tfie constable. He was represented by Mr T. O’Shea. Senior-sergeant Mac Lean told the court that of the thousands of motorists who passed Constable Oswald the defendant was the first, in his experience, who had been brought into court. Constable Oswald, who was on traffic duty at tho Stock Exchange, said that the incident occurred on a busy Friday afternoon. He had stopped the traffic going south to clear the way for traffic through Upper and Lower High streets. Green failed to stop at his signal, and, as he came from the Rattray street intersection, tufijed and spoke to tho other two occupants of fiis car. The constable stopped him, and, without reference to anything else. Green said : “My two friends and I will swear that you gave us the come-on signal.” The constable replied that if he had not been talking to his friends ho Would have seen the stop signal. Green then said “ Are you going to report this? Well, if you are, it is a case of three to I—we’ll swear your life away.” Four days later the constable was approached by the defendant, who said: “We are both Civil servants. Couldn’t you drop the case?” The constable replied that he could not discuss the matter.

Mr O’Shea said that the case was based on a misunderstanding, and it seemed that the constable had, been rather hasty. There was considerable pedestrian traffic at the time, and it was the defendant’s duty to look ahead He did not see the constable’s signal. Green, in evidence, said that he was “ rather surprised ” at the statements of the constable, and denied, that he ever remarked that he and his friends would swear the constable’s, life away. He contended that he was following other traffic, and had a signal to “ come on.” Corroborative evidence was given by Thomas George Phillips and Eric Charles Richard Winkel, the other occupants of the car. Reviewing the evidence. His Worship said , that he was satisfied that the defendant should have stopped. It was not a case of wilful disobedience of a signal, but rather an act of carelessness.

Green was convicted and fined £1 and costs.