By Paul Thornton
A COUNCIL HGV driver forced a traffic warden to jump out of the way of his car as he made off in an attempt to avoid a parking ticket.
Raymond Dixon, 43, ran back to his BMW when he spotted Fleur Collet about to give him a ticket for parking illegally.
But when Miss Collet asked him for his name and licence, he walked past her and jumped in his car.
Despite the warden standing beside his driver’s window he ignored her requests and pulled away, forcing her to dive for safety.
But police caught up with him and Dixon was charged with driving without due care and reasonable consideration.
Yesterday (Wednesday) at Edinburgh Sheriff Court, the Midlothian Council worker kept his licence and his job after a sheriff spared him a road ban.
Fiscal depute Gillian More told Edinburgh Sheriff Court how Miss Collet was on duty in Penicuik, Midlothian, on February 7 this year.
She spotted Dixon’s car parked illegally in the town’s High Street at 2.30pm and was about to give him a ticket.
But Dixon came running from a nearby shopping centre shouting “I’m here”, before making his way to his car.
The warden asked him for his personal details and driving licence but Dixon ignored her, and instead drove off.
Miss More said the warden was forced to jump out of the way of the car to avoid being hit and called the police.
Dixon was picked up 10 minutes later on the road to Edinburgh and told officers he had driven off because he believed the traffic warden had to put a ticket on his windscreen to issue one.
His solicitor, Paul Smith, said that Dixon, an HGV driver with 20 years’ experience, thought the woman was “about a foot” away from his vehicle when he took off.
He added that the father-of-two had left at normal speed and that the incident had been a “momentary lapse in judgement” in terms of how far the warden had been from his car.
But he revealed that Dixon already had seven points on his licence for speeding, adding that if he were disqualified he would lose his job.
Sheriff James Scott said: “It is with some hesitation I have refrained from disqualifying you.”
He fined Dixon, of Assynt Bank, Penicuik, £400 and imposed eight penalty points, meaning that he will be disqualified if he gets any further points.
