pursued through North
Vancouver, late at night, at
speeds exceeding 100 mph
was. found guilty of
dangerous driving, last
week . in North Vancouver
Provincial Court.

In court, Robin Allen, |

_ aged 20 of 1607 Fell Avenue.

pleaded mot. guilty and
testified that not only did he
not travel at those speeds,
but he did not realize he was
being chased by a police car
until shortly before the two
vehicles collided.

Allen was charged April

29, after police first noticed

him driving a motorcyle on

Marine Drive at about three

in the morning.

RCMP Constable . Mike
Russell testified that he saw
Allen and a passenger, riding
a Kawasaki 900 (later
identified as a 1000),
overtaking two cars on the
righthand side and then
cutting over to make a
lefthand turn up 16th Street.

ea

He said he followed the
motorcycle a way and then
radioed ahead to another
police car.

“DIDN'T STOP’
RCMP Constable William

. Thordarson testified that he

saw Allen travel through the
five way stop at 23rd Street
and Jones Avenue without

stopping and pass by where

his police car was sitting at

‘23rd’ and Mahon Avenue,

even though he said he had
switched on the emergency
lights and siren.

A North: Vancouver man.
on a motorbike who was—

Thordarson said he went
in pursuit of the motorbike
which was now accelerating.

. At one point, just before
the Lonsdale Avenue _ in-
tersection, he said he looked
down at his speedometer and

_ saw that it read 160 kph (100

mph) and that the bike was

still pulling away.

Both vehicles crossed
Lonsdale on a green light,
and Thordarson said the

motorcycle slowed slightly.

to turn down St.Andrews
Avenue.

He said the bike then
speeded up to 75 mph and
speeded down St.Andrews
narrowly avoiding a number
of peaple who were standing
near a disabled car and who
scattered out of the way. ©

At 19th Street, Thor-
darson said the bike slowed
sharply to turn west and that
it then speeded up again.

At the intersection of 19th
Street, he said there is a
slight rise in the road and as
the motorbike crossed this it
left the ground and almost
ran into several parked cars.

Finally, Thordarson said
the motorbike collided with
his police car as it tried to
turn down a laneway.

Although both riders [ell

off, the bike, neither was
senously injured.
‘SHEER LUCK’
Thordarson said the

reason that Aflen and the
passenger were not injured,
"TL contribute to sheer luck.”

“Somebody was looking
after him on that evening,
there's no doubt about that.”

Allen testified that
although he broke the speed
limit on the night in
question, he never reached
speeds approaching those

mentioned by the police

officers, although he
testified that the
speedometer on the bike was
not working.

“My bike's pretty loud and’ -

I never had any mirrors,”
Allen testified,” when he
explained why he did not see
the police car until it came
right up bebind him on 19th
Street... ;

“If Tdhave pulled over and
stopped he would have hit
me,” Allen said.

He claimed that the
motorbike was “rammed” by
the police car, as he turned
down the alleyway to po toa
party.

Allen also said he did not
see any disabled car on
St.Andrews and the bike
never left the ground at any
time,

“There is no question this
constitutes dangerous
driving,” Judge John Layton

said in reviewing the
evidence. \
He fined Allen $150. '

.
.
.

Allen was also fined $25

for failing to wear a helmet:

and has to appear in court
again

January 2nd on a
charge of not having a
licence,

SPECTACULAR ACCIDENT jm North Vanconver-at the junction of the Upper _
: injuries. The woman driving the GTO from Horseshoe Bay directio n was turning right

Levels Highway and Westview sent the, Datsun driver to hospital for treatment of.

onto Westview when her. car went straight over the centre median and slammed into

the Datsun which was Stopped af the traffic lights, waiting to continue North up
~ Westview.(Elisworth Dickson photo): "= ; >

Merry Christmas to everyone
on the North Shore from your
friends at the Big T. _

404 Lonsdale 987-4131