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Lorry tipped over after brakes failed approaching roundabout
Page 34
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AN UNEMPLOYED lorry driver has been fined £50 by Chester Magistrates who found him guilty of using a vehicle or trailer in a dangerous condition after his brakes failed on a roundabout.
Michael Gaynor ofWallasey,Merseyside, who told the magistrates he was now known as Vikki following a sex change. denied the offence.
Prosecuting for Vasa, David James said Gaynor was driving a lorry loaded with frozen goods for McBurney Refrigeration last March. He approached the roundabout on the A49 and A51 on the outskirts ofTarporley, Cheshire, when the brakes failed because the yellow service line was not connected.The lorry tipped over on to the roundabout but nobody was hurt.
Vehicle examiner Steven Anderton said the yellow line could not have detached as a result of the impact. However, Gaynor said the incident happened on his first day of employment with McBurney. The day before, he had four hours of assessment by a McBurney trainer on coupling and uncoupling trailers He did everything the way he had been shown and even checked it twice. He knew fora fact he had connected the yellow service line correctly. He said when the brakes failed he managed to steer the lorry to the safest place off the road.
He told magistrates he was sacked the day after the accident and could not afford a solicitor because his sexual transition had affected his income. "Because of sexual discrimination, I can't find employment. I can't drive heavy goods because I was dressed like this [as a woman]," he said.
As well as fining Gaynor magistrates also endorsed his driving licence with three penalty points. They made no order for costs, as Gaynor was currently on job seekers' allowance and fighting a sexual discrimination case.