ALLEGED SPEEDING

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume LXXXIII, Issue 19584, 8 June 1926, Page 10

ALLEGED SPEEDING

A COLLISION CASE ACCIDENT NEAR KAITOKE AN ADJOURNMENT GRANTED As the outcome of a collision between two motor cars on No. I Line a month ago Thomas Angus Wrigley appeared before Mr J. S. Barton, S.M., at the Wanganui Magistrate’s Court yesterday charged with driving a motor vehicle at a dangerous speed. Defendant, who was represented by Mr L. Cohen, pleaded not guilty. SeniorSergeant Lopdell prosecuted. Senior-Sergeant Lopdell said that on the morning after the alleged offence, May 6. defendant reported that he had had an accident the afternoon before near Kaitoke. Inquiries were made and the reported accident was found to be identical with an accident which had been reported to the police by telephone from Turakina the previous evening. ( Raymond Allan Martin, a student,/f Wellington, said that on May 5 he Was returning to Wanganui and got as far as Bulls. Witness then went on w| L h a man he did not know, but whom he identified as the defendant. Witness left Bulls at about 2 o’clock with defendant in an Austin car. On the way to Turakina from Bulls the car skidded ■ right round and faced in the opposite direction. It also slipped over a small ' bank, but no di|fnage was done. The speed at the trjfto was about 45 miles an hour. Later on defendant swerved the car from side to side of the road and the driver appeared asleep. His breath also smelt of liquor. Defendant entered a hotel at Turakina and witness said he would get out of the ear. He then waited for a service car. The defendants’ car left Turakina about half an hour after pulling up in front of the hotel. About three or four days later witness saw a damaged ear in a garage in Wanganui, which he identified as the car he had travelled in from Bulls to Turakina. Arthur H. Playle, a farmer, of Hawcra,s aid that on May 5 he was driving a car from Hawcra to Turakina. He went through Wanganui at 20 minutes to four. About six miles out of Wanganui witness was involved in a collision with another car. Witness was travelling behind another car, about 10 or 12 chains back. The car that hit witness passed the car in front and swung across in front of witness and on the wrong side of the road. Witness thought there was going to bo a head-on collision and he 1 gradually slowed up, despite the fact ' that there was any amount of time for t the defendant, to pull opt. Witness was right over against his left-hand side of the road. The approaching ear hit witness and bent the bumper, tore the hubcap, bent the mudguard over the front off wheel and tore the spare wheels off, besides damaging the rear mudguard. Witness got out of the car and inspected the damage. The driver of the ear which collided with witness went on and did not wait to inspect the damage. Ivy Playle gave similar evidence, and David Franke gave evidence as to speed. Ho saw the damaged car. The front mudguard was dented, but little other damage was done. The case was then adjourned for a week.