Scooter charge invalid under Act (From Free Press Series)

Scooter charge invalid under Act

AN Abergavenny pensioner charged with driving her invalid scooter with excess alcohol, has expressed her relief that the case has been dropped.

The CPS offered no evidence last week against Pamela Moulton Thomas, aged 69, of Old Hereford Road, Abergavenny after prosecutor Tony Dicken said an invalid carriage was exempt under the Road Traffic Act.

Mrs Thomas, who walked into court with the aid of a stick, said afterwards: "I didn't know the case was going to be dropped until today, and this has been hanging over me since January 17, so it's been very upsetting."

She said it was her first court appearance and explained how she came to be charged. "I went the wrong side of the cenotaph in Frogmore Street and a patrol car was behind me, so they stopped me and asked me to go to the police station with them.

"They couldn't have been kinder, and they were very apologetic, but they said they'd had complaints about me driving my scooter in town."

She praised the police officers she had dealt with and said they had been "marvellous" to her.

She took along a witness to court with her. Bob Mills said he had seen the incident, and Mrs Thomas was forced to go the wrong side of the cenotaph because the road was blocked by taxis which were double-parked outside the Tesco store.

Prosecutor Tony Dicken said afterwards: "The only other alternative to the excess alcohol charge would be drunk in charge of a carriage, and for that we would have to prove Mrs Thomas was drunk rather than over the drink/drive limit."

He declined to say what her reading on the Intoximeter had been.