Stories of a very conflicting character were told at H.M. Police Court on Tuesday in the case of Judah I. Ezra, who appeared on remand before Mr. G. W. King charged with having negligently driven a motor car in Bubbling Well Road on the evening of June 20, thereby causing bodily harm to Miss K. V. Shekury.
Supt. Vaughan conducted the prosecution, and Mr. M. B. Brown defended.
Complainant gave evidence that on the evening in question, after having called at a shop in Bubbling Well Road, between Yates Road and Medhurst Road, she instructed the ricsha coolie to go back to town. It was raining at the time, but light, and things were clearly visible. The hood of the ricsha and the rain curtain were up. The coolie had crossed the road diagonally and had turned when defendant's car approached, the ricsha then being quite close to the pavement on the north side of the yood. When witness first saw the cay, it was "a good bit away" and in the centre of the road, but she was unable to estimate its speed. It swerved from the centre of the road, but the coolie did not get flurried and kept a straight course. Witness did not hear a motor horn blown. When the vehicles collided the riesha was quite close to the pavement, "How do you account for the collision?' asked Supt. Vaughan.
"The car was on the wrong side of the road," witness replied. She added that there were no other vehicles about, and the south side of the road was quite clear. Witness was thrown forcibly from the riesha, and defendant and a lady who was with him in the car assisted her to rise, afterwards taking her home.
In answer to Mr. Brown, witness said it was raining heavily, but it was not too dark to see quite well.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.