Hours charges withdrawn
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4. More than 90 drivers' hours and tachograph charges against Liverpool-based Knowlsey Transport & Forwarding were withdrawn by the Crown Prosecution Service when the firm appeared at Huyton magistrates last week.
The company was accused of 65 offences of causing drivers to make false tachograph entries and 30 charges of causing drivers to fail to work proper hours and to take the correct rest periods.
Roland Zoliner, prosecuting, said the charges were being withdrawn because they named the wrong defendant. But James Backhouse, for the firm, said that while there was a defect in the summons, there were also a number of serious defects in the prosecution's case and the firm was not getting off on a technicality.
Ten of the company's drivers were accused of a variety of offences. Anthony Clarke and his brother Alexander both pleaded guiity to one daily driving offence, and Paul Moignard to one daily and three daily rest offences. Each was fined £25 plus 240 costs. The remainder of the charges against drivers were dropped. John Heaton, for the drivers, said evidence to support the charges that had been dropped simply did not exist. As for the charges that were admitted, Heaton added that Anthony Clarke had been just seven minutes over his daily driving limit and his brother had taken eight minutes too little rest. In Moignarcl's case, it had not been where no rest was taken at all it was that he had not organised it properly. The incidence of offending was very low, given the totality of the number of tachograph charts examined.