NEGLIGENT DRIVING.
SEQUEL TO A FATALITY
EMPLOYER AND MAN GUILTY
[BY TELEGRAPH. —PRESS ASSOCIATION.] NEW PLYMOUTH, Thursday.
After a retirement of two hours a jury to-dav found a Maori, Rami Watson, and his employer, Louis Albert Sarten, farmer, guilty of negligent driving so as to cause the death of John Poletti. Accused were remanded in custody for sentence to-mor-row. On alternative charges of manslaughter accused were found not guilty. The charges arose out of an accident on the evening of Juno 11, when Mr. Poletti, a well-known farmer of Bell Block, was knocked down by a lorry driven by Watson and killed. The lorry had no lights and it was stated that both accused had known for a fortnight that the battery was out of order. \V atson was driving the lorry 18 minutes after the time when it was supposed to be lighted, and Sarten was driving his car behind the lorry in an endeavour to light the way. When the driver of the lorry saw a car approaching lie pulled well to the correct Bide of the road. It was then that he became aware that he had struck something, lie stopped and found Mr. Poletti in a dying condition.
The jury added a rider to its verdict vcrv strongly recommending Watson to mcrcv and recommended Sarten to mercy.
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Bibliographic details
New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVI, Issue 20341, 23 August 1929, Page 14
Word Count
221NEGLIGENT DRIVING. New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVI, Issue 20341, 23 August 1929, Page 14
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