Operator sues over drivers hours story
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by Derren Hayes and Michael Jewell • Allen Munro Transport and its director John Gillam have served libel writs claiming damages from the Observer newspaper following an article that alleged hours abuse and tachograph record falsification by the company's drivers.
Last week Ormskirk Magistrates cleared one Munro driver of offences of knowingly making false entries in tachograph records. A second driver. who admitted two similar offences, was given a 12-month conditional discharge.
Munro's solicitor Stephen Kirkbright says an examination of more than 4,000 Munro tachograph charts uncovered only 18 offences.
He has criticised the Vehicle Inspectorate for proceeding with prosecutions which he believes are based on so little evidence.
"Not only has the coinpan3; not been charged with any offences yet but they haven't even been interviewed and it's now almost a year since it happened," he says, adding that the libel action has been taken bemuse "the directors have --elt totally frustrated for the
year and now hope to red: the balance."
Neill McFord, of Southport, admitted falsifying two eharts. Kirkbright, for McFord, said the case arose out of a raid on the company's premiSes in which records for all 48 drivers for a four-month period were seized because of information given to the VI by the Obiserver. Derek Walmsley, of Wigan, was acquitted of two alleged offences of falsification.