Heathcote must wait
Page 17
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• Dukinfield magistrates have adjourned a hearing of alleged offences concerning the falsifying of tachograph records and the breaking of the drivers' hours limits involving J & M Heathcote of Stalybridge, two associated companies. two directors, a traffic manager and 24 drivers. One of them pleaded guilty to three offences and was fined.
Twenty-five drivers were charged with a total of 171 offences involving the falsification of tachograph records, working and driving excessive hours, taking insufficient rest, failing to make entries on the centre field of charts and failing to keep tachographs running continuously.
J & M Heathcote and its traffic manager Brian lloward were each accused of 87 offences of permitting excess hours and tachograph offences and 70 offences of aiding and abetting drivers to make false entries on tachograph charts.
Tameside Skip Hire Limited was accused of two offences of permitting drivers to work excess hours and take insufficient rest and Befirose Limited was accused of four such offences. The directors were Michael Heathcote (accused of 92 offences of permitting excess hours and tachograph offences and 70 of aiding and abetting drivers to make false entries and David make false entries) and David Knight, accused of four of exceed the hours limits and take insufficient rest.
The cases involving the three companies, the two directors, Mr Howard and 24 other drivers were adjourned until September 4 when the magistrates will hear representations about whether they are so serious that they ought to be dealt with by a judge and jury at Crown Court.
The other driver, Patrick Lynch, admitted three offences of failing to keep his tachograph running continuously and was fined .2300.
For the prosecution Christo pher Worthy said Lynch, who had previous convictions of fal sifying tachograph records and excessive hours, had kept a manual record on three dates. Those records did not show the hours spent driving and on other duties or when Lynch had changed vehicles.