HUTT ROAD INCIDENT

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LX, Issue 18025, 28 February 1933, Page 3

HUTT ROAD INCIDENT

DANGEROUS DRIVING CHARGE ‘ INFORMATION DISMISSED Incidents occurring on the Hutt Road on Sunday afternoon, December 18, .resulted in'Herbert J. S. Rickard, a city chemist, “being charged in the Wellington Magistrate’s Court with driving in a manner which might have been dangerous l to the public. After hearing the evidence of the Chief Justice, Sir Michael Myers, his chauffeur, Traffic Officer Avery, and several witnesses for the defence, Mr. J. G. L. Hewitt, S.M., thought there was room for doubt; and accordingly dismissed the charge. * ' • Defendant pleaded not guilty. He was represented by Mr. P. H. Putnam, and the city solicitor, Mr. J. O’Shea, appeared for the traffic department. Sir Michael Myers, the first witness, said that on the afternoon in question he was driving in from Upper Hutt, and before reaching Lower Hutt his attention was drawn to a brown car in such a way as made him direct his chauffeur tb keep in touch with the car and not lose sight of it. There had been two or three incidents which made him give that instruction, and one in particular. Sir Michael gave instances of this car drawing out of the traffic line to pass other cars in a manner ho considered dangerous. "1. felt I had a public duty,” said the Chief J ustice. “It was what seemed to iric to be such a piece of reckless driving as to be a menace to the road, so f'instructed my Chauffeur to report the matter, at the same time saying that if my evidence was required I wotiid give it.” For the defence, Mr. Putnam submitted that at some stage or other the Chief Justice and his chauffeur had become confused with brown cars. At some time when the offending car was getting back into the line of traffic the continuity of their vision had been interrupted by the cloud of dust, and they had mistaken the defendant’s car; the’ number of which was 4200, for the guilty one.

In the box, defendant, his wife, and a passenger in the car, Mr. John Ellis, a retired district superintendent of the London and North Eastern Railway, denied that the defendant’s car had eterbeen in the position described by tlie Chief Justice. Mr. Ellis said that he had come all the way from Auckland to save \vhat he thought might be a wrong being done. The magistrate: Well, I shall treat this case' as an ordinary case. One of the witnesses is the Chief Justice. I dismiss that fact, and I shall just regard him as an ordinary witness. I then say to myself, "Well, you have had five or six honest witnesses altogether; can you convict?” I say definitely, no, and the charge must be dismissed. -