Woman Motorist Stands Her Trial

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 657, 8 May 1929, Page 11

Woman Motorist Stands Her Trial

NEGLIGENT DRIVING CHARGE SEQUEL TO FATALITY Press Association CHRISTCHURCH, To-day. A charge that on February 21 she negligently drove a motor-car causing the death of Stephen James Johnston, was denied by Mrs. Isabella Mabel Stanley in the Supreme Court to-day. Johnston was killed on the night of February 21 when he and another man were knocked down at the intersection of Manchester and Belfast Streets. Both were visitors from Auckland. Outlining the case ror the Crown, Mr. Donnelly said that Mrs. Stanley drove up Manchester Street on the wrong side. She turned into Belfast Street on the wrong side. hit two men and then ran on to the footpath on the wrong side of the street. The only possible inference from the facts was that Mrs. Stanley was unable to control the car. It was very difficult to escape the conclusion that Stanley was negligent. It was painful to see a woman charged with an offence of that nature, said Mr. Donnelly, but there was a great, deal of motor traffic and a great deal of negligent driving. If juries were inclined to take a sympathetic view of cases such as that, it would mean a general slackening of care among motorists. While there was sympathy for the driver, the dead man was also entitled to some sympathy, and the injured man. whom the jury would see, would carry marks with him to the grave, and was practically a broken man. (Proceeding.) The man who was killed was Stephen .Tames Johnston, of Te Kopuru, Dargaville a tailor. His companion, who was injured, was Edward Albert Holders, of Tennyson Avenue, Takapuna.