INCIDENT ON ROAD

Hauraki Plains Gazette, Volume 52, Issue 32311, 10 September 1943, Page 5

INCIDENT ON ROAD

OBSTRUCTION ALLEGED POLICE TAKE ACTION PARTY AT HIKUTAIA DANCE Claiming that they had been wilfully obstructed and hindered in the execution of their duty, the police pioceedod against Edward Gain Corbett, of Tauranga, before Mr W. H. Freeman, S.M., in the Paeroa Court on Monday. Corbett who was represented by Mr C. N. O’Neill, pleaded not guilty. Constable H. E. Hollinshead, stated that on Monday evening, August 16, he had been on duty with Constable Brown at Hikutaia while a dance was in progress. They had, parked their car in Ferry road, facing Maratoto road and about 10 p.m. they saw a number of people come out of the hall and go up Maratoto road. Shortly after they heard bottles clinking and some empty ones being thrown into the ditch. The party soon broke up and some returned to the dance while four stayed near the corner. At about 10.30 p.m. a car came up the main road from the direction of Thames and turned into Maratoto road stopping near the spot where the party had formerly been drinking. He heard the four near the corner call out to those in the car as it passed. Police Approach When the car pulled up Constable Brown drove from Ferry road to the car in Maratoto road and pulled up directly behind it. He noticed two people in the car look through the back window as the police pulled up and then the other car started its engine and moved off in a great hurry.

Constable .Brown, continued Constable Hollinshead, had jumped out of their car and had run up to the car moving- off, calling- “Stop, stop,” but the driver took no notice of the instruction but accelerated 1 and drove away. Constable . Brown had been practically abreast of the driver when he called out “.Stop.” The car drove off in a big hurry. After the car had gone the police searched the locality and found paper and bottles in the ditch beside where the car had parked. About ten minutes later the car came back down Maratoto road and the police stopped it with torches and found the driver to be the defendant. The driver was very excited and demanded to know what right they had to stop him and when told it was the police asked him was he to know when the police were not in uniform. Denied It Was His Car At first Corbett denied that he had driven off from that spot, continued Constable Hollinshead, but admitted that it was his l car when told l that they had taken the number of the car. Qorbett then said that he thought the police had been some friends of his whom he had wanted to get away from. He then admitted he had heard somebody call out but had not known who it was. There was no liquor in the car when the police searched it. With the driver there was another man and two ladies in the car and both men smelt of liquor which he considered had been recently consumed, added Constable Hollinshead*. Defendant and party had stated that they were attending the dance. Constable J. L. Brown gave evidence similar to that given by- Constable Hollinshead, adding that as he pulled up behind the other car he had caught a flash of a bottle in defendant’s car. He heard the self-starter of defendant’s car start the engine as he stopped his car and so jumped out, calling to the driver to stop. When almost abreast of the driver he called out, “Stop, Police,” but the driver merely turned to look at him and drove off. Mr 0. N. O’Neill said that as the police had not sufficient evidence to prosecute on a charge of being in possession of liquor near a dance hall they lacked evidence for the present prosecution. He pointed out that it* was pure assumption that there had been liquor in defendant’s car or that defendant knew that it was the police who had pulled up behind him.

The magistrate reserved his decision.