A local man was recently found guilty in court of driving without due care and attention after injuring a Dorset Council officer who was carrying out his duties.
Dating back to an incident that took place in August 2019 on the Esplanade, the case was heard at Weymouth Magistrate’s Court on Monday 29 March.
Those in attendance heard how a fully uniformed Civil Enforcement Officer (CEO, or Parking Warden) was attempting to issue a Penalty Charge Notice (PCN) to an incorrectly parked vehicle when the driver returned.
The CEO informed the vehicle owner that the PCN was being issued, but the driver chose to enter and start the car. When the driver beckoned the CEO over to the driver’s window to apparently talk, the driver pulled away without warning. In doing so, he ran over the foot of the CEO, leaving him injured and in agony on the ground.
Several members of the public came to the aid of the CEO while the vehicle was prevented from fully leaving by other nearby motorists who witnessed the incident, at which point the driver pulled over and returned to the scene on foot.
As the police arrived and took statements, a taxi driver from Fleetline Taxis transported the injured CEO to hospital. While X-rays showed there was no bone breakage, there was soft tissue damage that required the CEO use a big foot brace and crutches for a period of time as they took time off work to recover.
In court last month, the driver pleaded Not Guilty and offered a conflicting version of events provided by the CEO. However, having witnessed video footage of the incident taken from the CEO’s bodycam, there was compelling evidence to convict the driver.
The driver was fined £370 plus court costs, found guilty of Driving Without Due Care and Attention and had 5 points placed on his licence. The CEO attended court and was very pleased with the outcome.
Paul Hutton, Service Manager for Parking Services at Dorset Council, said:
“This was a CEO going about his duties, keeping Weymouth’s roads clear and making sure traffic stays moving in one of the busiest parts of the county during peak tourist season. Through this driver’s negligent behaviour, our officer was injured and it’s only by sheer luck that this incident wasn’t more serious.
On behalf of our CEO, I want to say thanks to the many people who stopped to help and to the kind taxi driver who took him to hospital. I also want to thank Dorset Police for their hard work in making sure this case had its day in court.
Dorset Council will not tolerate abuse or harm of any kind toward any of our officers who are just trying to do their jobs, often under challenging circumstances. Please respect our colleagues as they do their work, especially during these difficult times.”
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