PEER ACQUITTED

Greymouth Evening Star, 18 April 1938, Page 8

PEER ACQUITTED

CHARGE of manslaughter LONDON, March 1. Viscount Gormanston, 23, premier Viscount of Ireland, of Gormanston Castle, co. Meath, was found not. guilty in Dublin Circuit Criminal Court of the manslaughter of two Dublin men, Edward Wiggins and Patrick Mooney, both 23, who were on a motor-cycle, by knocking them down with his motor-car at Kilbarrack on August 28. Lord Gormanston was returning from Baldoyle races. Mr. Cecil Lavery, K.C., lor the defence, described the accident in detail, and said that Lord'Gormanston ■was faced with a situation of great emergency, as the car in :iront had pulled out and obscured his view. In his evidence, Lord Gormanston said' that he was travelling at 35 to 40 miles an hour and rapidly overhauling a cai’ in front. “Just before the accident,” he said, “my intention was to pass that car and I sounded my horn as .1 was pulling out, A green car in front suddenly swerved to pass a car which I had not seen previously, and I had to swing further to the right to avoid it. “Then the car in front of the green car swung to its own side again and gave me my first view of the motorcycle. I tried to swerve to the left, but it was too late. The motor-cycle struck me on the off-side. I slackened jspeed. I w’as confused. Somebody in the back of the car said that two men had been knocked off and I pulled up.” Judge Davitt, in his charge to the jury, referred to the suggestion that Lord Gormanston attempted to escape after the collision. The accused man, Ijg said, was faced with making a decision in the few seconds in which the collision occurred. Something that he did subsequently had little or nothing to do with the case. The jury returned a verdict of not guilty on both counts, and Lord Gormanston was discharged.