COURT NEWS

Opotiki News, Volume II, Issue 181, 12 May 1939, Page 3

COURT NEWS

MAGISTRATE’S SITTING N UAIIJROUB TRAFFIC CASES - - / The monthly sitting of the Opotiki ■Magistrate’s. Court was held on Tuesday, before . Mr. 12. Lv Walton, S.M. Sergeant J. Isbister conducted the cases on behalf of the police. Peru Christie ivaS charged with driving a motor-vehicle which did net have the necessary warrant of fitness, and entered a plea of not guilty.

Constable W. A. Cooper'said that the' car had a warrant of fitness but this was out of date. At the time defendant said he was-the owner of the car. Defendant informed Air. Walton that he was only the driver of the car, but the magistrate reminded him that it was his duty to see there was a current warrant of fitness. A fine of 10s with costs was imposed. Francis' 11. Cougliian, service-car driver, was charged with failing to keep to the left. Sergeant- isbister said the defendant was driving a ser-vice-ear on the Opotiki side of the Torore hill and collided with another ear. Defendant- had stated that lie had sounded his horn on approaching the bend and kept too far out and met another ear and was not- able to get t«> bis correct side in time. A collision occurred, both vehicles being badly damaged. There was ample loom at the spot- for two big vehicles to pass. Air. Bunkall. for defendant-, said that Cougliian commenced to draw out to negotiate a narrow spot a little further on. A fine of CM with costs was imposed. COLLISION AT WAIOTAHI William Francis Dunn was charged* that at- Waiotahi cut April 10, ho failed to keep to the left. Sergeant Isbister stated the ease arose out of three vehicles being involved in a collision. A man named Collins met two other ears. Defendant Jailed to give enough room and collided with Collins’s ear. The latter’s ear got out of control and hit the second car which was pulled up. Had it not been for the second! ear Collins would probably have had a much, worse accident. Air. Dicker, sharemilker, said that on the night of 10th. April he was coining into town and was about two chains behind defendant’s ear. He saw Collin’s car approach and Dum; ■jailed to give Collins room to pass. Colins lest control and then struck witness’s car. injuring a passenger. Defendant-, who iailtd toi put in an appearance, was fined £2 and costs.

INI' OItMATION .DISMISSED A plea of not guilty, was entered by Quenie H. Y'owles, when charged with diiving a car at Nukuhou on February and failing to keep to the left. •Seigeant fsbister "said that defendant had nearly reached her home and collided with a car driven by a man named Proffit. Robert If. Abbot, lorry driver, said he was driving a truck past defendant’s house and was passed by Proffit. 'Witness followed Proffit’s car for aquartcr of a mile and when he came to a straight saw both cars approach a corner. Proffit eased up and went as close to the side side of the road as possible. A collision occurred and defendant’.s car skidded across to the left side of the load. He considered the cause of the collision was that .Miss Vow I os’ car was on the wrong side of the road. Defendant, who conducted her own defence, asked witness why. Proffit was wiping the outside of his windscreen by hand as her approached her but witness said he did not know anything about that. U. 11. Proffit said that as lie approached tile corner bo saw the other car coining. He pulled to the left and nearly stopped. 'When he saw a collision was inevitable be drew right into the bank. His car was hit on the front wheel. The other car bounced oil’. Defendant asked witness if.it was railing at the time and why bo was wiping his windscreen on the outside, with one band. Proffit denied this and said lie had moved' his car after the collision so as not to block the road. Defendant informed witness there was no need to move his car as the road was clear for traffic to pass between the vehicles. Mr. H. C. White, farmer. Nuluihou, said he saw defendant’s car approach

the corner and it was oh its correct side of the road. He did not see the collision. ' Defendant, in evidence, saidi it was raining hard at the time-of the accident and as Proffit came around the corner he had one hand outside the car wiping the windscreen as liis wiper was out of action. .Witness was on her. correct side of the. road but Pre/fit was driving on the wrong side. The day after the accident she had teen, approached and it had bedn suggested she should take the blame as Pro flit was not insured, and also he had not been fit to drive that day. : Mr. WaltOn dismissed the‘information against Miss Vowles. INSUFFICIENT LIGHTS Anthony Walker was charged! with driving a truck on l.st. April with one' headlight only alight. Constable Cooper stated he saw the truck in a yard earlier in the evening when making enquiries about a. collision. Later lie saw the truck being driven on the road with one light. Defendant was convicted and fined £1 and costs. COLLISION WITH CYCLIST DRIVER WATCHING DOG lan Ruff, lorry driver, was charged with negligent driving in St. Jehu Street on loth. April. Sergant Isbister stated that a young woman, Gladys Ross, was cycling to work and turned from Wellington Street into St. John Street and saw a lorry: coming. She rode some distance on the correct side of the road, almost on the grass, and was struck 'by the lorry. Defendant stated that he had not seen Miss Ross until after the collision. He said lie had swervecl to miss a dog. Visibility was good at- the time and there was no reason why he .should have collided with the cyclist. He (the sergeant) had made enquiries about a dog supposed to have been seen on the road by defendant but’ nobody else saw a dog. Mr. Hodgson, on behalf of defendant. said the collision resulted because the defendant was watching a dog crossing the road. There was no doubt he should have beep keeping a better lockout. Defendant was fined £2 and costs.

COLLISION AT INTERSECTION William Sydenham was charged that on April Ist. at the intersection oi : Nelson and Ford Strets, he tailed to give! way to a vehicle approaching from the right. • Sergeant Isbister said that Dr. Brass was; driving along Ford} Street in a westerly direction and defendant was driving along Nelson Street in a northerly direction. A collision occurred almost in the centre of the intersection. Both cars were damaged but no one was injured. Defendant said he was driving at a speed he considered quite reasonable, but admitted that in the circumstances he must have travelled too fast. A line of £1 with costs was imposed. LIQUOR SUPPLIED TO NATIVES TWO MEN FINED James Kelly pleaded not guilty to a charge of supplying liquor to a native woman. Constable Cboper told the court that on March 18th. at about 4.J0 pan., he visited the Opotiki camping ground in company with Constable Rathie. They, saw Kelly sitting' with a Maori woman on a seat. Defendant was seen to give a bottle of beer and a glass to the woman. When they saw the police approaching the beer and glass were thrown, away into a toitoi bush. Cross-examined by -Mr. Hodgson, the witness said he had not kept the bottle. At the time of the alleged offence he could' have picked up six empty bottles in the vicinity. It was not the usual tiling for bottles* to, be lying around in the grounds as hoys collected them. Constable Cooper also informed the court that other Maoris were standing about nearby. In reply to a question by Sergeant Isbister, witness. said he smelt the bottle and glass. Beer was in them. Sergeant Isbister said that when he served the summons on defendant at

Ojpoiiae, ho had admitted lie had served the woman with beer, saying that lie could not get away from J\er. air,' Hodgson said that;: i-fr'View of. the sergeant’s .statement he would alter the plea to one cf' guilty. The magistrate convicted and fined defendant £5 "with costs"-SMs. Charles Hall was charged that oil April 14th. he supplied liquor to a native off licensed premises. Sergeant Isbister said that u man Taylor Tai, well-known to the magistrate, was arrested lor drunkenness. Tai f.qopiplained he had lost a sum of £4 and defendant was questioned about the. missing money. In a statement defendant admitted purchasing a bottle of. whisky and both the defendant atid Tai'drSnk it.' “ , Defendaut''told the bench lie di-d not know at the time that lie was committing an offence and' lie was “very sorry for what lie -had done. Hall was fined £2 and costs.