MOTORIST SENT TO GAOL.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LX, Issue 18331, 22 February 1923, Page 4

MOTORIST SENT TO GAOL.

. •••■:•■• -- '-,■>"■■ ■•■:■.>■■■- ■ > KILLED A PEDESTRIAN. : £250 : PINE IN ADDITION. . | •■The son of a well-known resident of the city, James Douglas Vallance, was sen-;-; tenced in Glasgow recently by the Lord .'. Justice Clerk to nine months' imprisonment and fined £250 for recklessly driving '[, I a motor-car at excessive speed and cans-. . • , ing the death of a youth named Doyle. . -t. I : .Doyle was crossing the road with a."/ i companion,. when he was caught by Val-. ,\ j lance's ; car and so severely injured that Ihe died shortly afterwards. Witnesses : I estimated the speed of the car at the time ;t | of the accident, which took place near., H a dangerous corner, as approaching 40 '• ■ miles an hour. A lamp.post wa3 knocked down, and the car came to a standstill ;' J against a brick wall, which was partly , demolished. * ,;* I Vallance, giving ihis version of the ') '■ accident, said in the witness box that the * | lighting at that part of the road was very y| t bad. When he saw the two youths they ' were almost in the middle of the street; could npt u say exactly how far away. '•:, One, who was in front of, the headlights, 'y-i hesitated, and then started tc run. Some- c.";' , thing interfered with the steering, he was r ,;| j: not sure what, but agreed with counsel |r|p that it might have been the impact of '!■ • the body; ]■-'■]""■ :; /M [%iHe had taken his foot off the accelera-1 ; tor. but did noti think he attempted to V 0 i brake the car. ; As to subsequent happen- ;;.y : inga, he had a very hazy recollection. He remembered asking what had happened, ■-•• I and whether anyone had been hurt. He was very dazed. . \allance added that the ; j car, Rolls-Royce, was given to. him by<; >'■ y hi ß father in 1918. * ■$ ••: The jury were '. absent 25 minutes, :indp| returned a verdict of guilty by a majority. j;,;:,.,! v .Counsel ; for the defence, in mitigation of punishment, urged Variance's previous. good character, and ' pointed out that there ~ was no allegation of insobriety at the time .. 'j of the accident. Passing sentence, the Judge said hehftd&-}; given all these points full weight. • , v §