'Ghost' drivers signed Walsh 's records
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• Jos. Walsh (Darwen) Ltd., its managing director, Mr. J. C. Walsh, of Darwen, and its transport manager, Mr. H. S. Hunt, of Black burn, were fined a total of £2,175 and ordered to pay £1,080 towards costs and legal aid at Lancaster assizes by Mr. Justice Milmo on Monday. Mr. S. Mellilieti, of Blackburn, was given a conditional discharge.
All pleaded guilty to three charges of conspiracy, (CM June 20), in respect of false drivers' records, contraventions of Section 19 of the Road Traffic Act, 1930 and Section 73 of the Road Traffic Act, 1960 and forgery of drivers' records.
The defendants pleaded not guilty to three other conspiracy charges and these were withdrawn.
The defendants were told by the judge; -When there is a conspiracy to do the things
you have done, to defeat the statutory provisions that are designed to protect the public physically against accidents, it is a serious matter. It is essential in the public interest that these provisions are adhered to".
Mr. M. McGuire, prosecuting, said signatures of "ghost" drivers appeared on 80. drivers' log sheets. He described the various ways in which the log sheets were falsified. One method, he said, was for drivers to write the excessive hours in pencil. The wages clerk would pay them on that basis and then erase the pencil figures. That system was later abandoned and a piece of paper was used to record the excessive hours. Following this two log sheets were used, one stating the correct number of hours and the second, signed with a false name, listing the excessive hours.
He further said that it became clear during investigations that these offences arose out of deliberate company policy. In January this year the company surrended all its A licences to another company in the group. At present the defendant company exists in name only and Mr. Walsh is drawing unemployment benefit.
Mr. J. Booth, defending the company, Mr. Hunt and Mr. Mellilieu, said that it had been company policy to pay drivers a fixed number of hours for a particular U:furney. The three systems described had arisen out of the fixed time allowance.
Mr. Edgar Fay, defending Mr. Walsh, said; "Mr. Walsh has been a very good employer of men. In this case he was too good."