Derby Daily Telegraph 10 Aug 1944

Successful Plea Against Petrol Charge

JOSEPH GEORGE COLLIER (48), farmer, Peat Hayes Farm, Shirley, successfully pleaded "Not guilty" at Belper Police Court today, when he was charged with misusing motor fuel. The police gave evidence of seeing Collier come out of the Tiger Inn, Turnditch, and into the yard with the landlord. They each came out o£ the yard with a sack, and put them in Collier's car, told Superintendent J. Wilson. When police officers asked him for what purpose he was using petrol, he was said have replied "for agricultural purposes and shopping," and that he had come to Turnditch that night to fetch ducks from Mr. Richardson (the landlord).

FIVE FROM 'BUS

Superintendent Wilson said that Collier was granted petrol for attending market and stock sales, and for his farm was five miles from the nearest 'bus route and two miles from tbe nearest telephone. He told the police that he had spine injury, and that the car was "all he had to depend on to keep going." From where Collier lived to the Tiger Inn was eight miles, and the Superintendent did not consider that Collier was justified travelling 16 miles by car to buy four ducks. suggested quite bluntly that Collier went to the inn for the same reason that most people went to a public house. Mr. A. R. Flint, defending, submitted that there was no case to answer, and said he did not intend to put Collier into the witness box. There was not a scrap of evidence, he said, but only mere suspicion that because a man called at a public house he was misusing petrol. There was no reason why he should not stop to have a drink. The Bench retired before dismissing the case.