A 73-year-old disabled Wolverhampton haulage operator who refused to abandon his unroadworthy lorry and drove off chased by police, said he did so to get his load of meat to market before it started rotting. Hussain Shah, of Parkfield Road, told Solihull Magistrates he did not know the lorry was in such a poor condition. Shah, who runs Shah Transport, admitted driving a vehicle in an unroadworthy condition and was fined £400 with £115 costs. He was said to have a previous conviction for a similar offence.
Dominic Green, prosecuting for Vosa, said Shah's lorry was stopped for a routine check in Birmingham, and found to have an insecure vacuum pipe, an insecure exhaust, an alternator jammed with wooden blocks, and a badly worn driving belt. "Shah was told he could not drive the lorry any further because of its condition, but he got back into the cab and drove off," said Green. "The police caught him and brought him back."
Shah said in court that he was disabled and used a walking stick. He had just picked up the meat when he was stopped. "I drove off because I decided to take the meat back to the market before it started rotting. But the police took all the meat out of the lorry and threw it on the ground. I did not know the condition of the lorry was so bad." Shah said the lorry was now in perfect order and showed the magistrates an MOT. One magistrate told him his fine had been reduced because of his guilty plea.
