"MOST CALLOUS"

Rotorua Morning Post, Volume 2, Issue 219, 10 May 1932, Page 6

"MOST CALLOUS"

LEFT ON ROAD HIT AND RUN DRIVER CONVICTED AND FI&ED LICENSE SUSPENDED "This man appears to have been most callous over the whole thing. Por all he knew about it, the man might have been under the car. I mbmit that a man of this sort should not have a license — it should be cancelled for a number of years," said Senior-Sergeant Carroll yesterday in the Rotorua Magistrate's Court, when outlining the details of a motor accident. As a result of this accident, three charges were laid against a Maori named Peremara Kihirini, who admitted knocking over a cyclist on Whaka Road and failing to stop after the accident. Kihirini was charged with driving an unlighted motor vehicle, with failing to stop after an accident, and with failing to render assistance after an accident. The Magistrate (Mr. S. L. Paterson, S.M.), entered convictions on all three charges and imposed fines totalling £4 with costs £2 10s. Defendant's driving license was also suspended until May 31 and he was prohibited from holding another license for a period of one year thereafter. Outlining the circumstances of the case, Senior-Sergeant Carroll, said that on the night of the accident a man named Price had been.riding a cycle along Whaka Road when he had been struck by an unlighted car approaching from the rear. Mr. Price had been thrown violently to the road and had been partially dazed by the force of the collision. Thrown Over Gate When he recovered, however, he found that his bicycle had disappeared and nothing more was heard of it until later that evening, when a resident of Ti Street found a badly damaged machine thrown over his front gate. This resident heard a car approaching and noticed that sparks were being struck from the roadway bv some obiect apparently beneath

the undercarriage. The car pulled up and one of its occupants walked across and threw something over the front gate. The resident of the house immediately investigated and on discovering the wrecked cycle, decided to follow the car which had by then driven off. He accordingly did so and found it parked on the side of the road at Te Ngae and without lights. In the meantime, Mr. Price had renoited the matter to the police, but as the number of the car was not known, some difficulty in tracing it was experienced. However, on the following evening, the defendant reaorted at the police station and said that he had seen a report of the accident in the "Morning Post" and had decided to admit that he was responsible. He stated that he had been so worried about the matter that he had not been able tq sleep, and had been afraid to see the police until he saw from the paper that the man was not dead. Mr. R. Potter, for the defendant, aid that there was really very little he could say in a case such as this. Defendant had been so frightened by what had happened that he had not gone to the police immediately, although he had intended to do so. However, the fact that he had reported the matter in the end wa? something in his favour while he had also done everything in his power to repair the damage. Kihirini was a married man with one child and was also supporting two of his relatives. He had not been before a court before. . The Magistrate imposed a fine of £1 with 15s costs on the charge of driving without lights, and a fine of £3 with similar costs on the charge of failing to stop. His Worship also ordered that defendant's license should be suspended and not re-issued for one year. On the charge of failing to render assistance, Kihirini was convicted and ordered to pay costs amounting to £1.