Gorleston man charged with driving into lollipop man

Gregory Doggett, of High Street, Gorleston, is said to have driven into the back of school crossing patrol officer Derek Collins on the A12 Yarmouth Road because he was blinded by the sun.

During the collision on the morning of February 3 Mr Collins went on to the bonnet of Doggett’s Rover convertible and hit its windscreen.

Mr Collins suffered a large cut to his arm, a cut on his face and bruising to his legs.

Doggett appeared before Lowestoft magistrates yesterday and pleaded not guilty to driving without due care and attention.

His charge read that he “drove without due care and attention in that he collided with the back of a school crossing patrol officer who was in the centre of the road displaying his stop sign.

“The school crossing patrol officer went on to the bonnet of the Rover, hit the windscreen and fell on to the ground.

“The windscreen was smashed and the crossing patrol officer sustained cuts and bruises to various parts of his body as a result of the collision.”

The collision happened close to the junction of Hollingsworth Road and Gunton Church Lane at about 8.20am.

The Gunton Primary School crossing, where Doggett and Mr Collins were involved in the collision, is on a busy stretch of the A12.

Doggett, who represented himself in court, said he was denying the allegation of driving without due care and attention as he did not see Mr Collins due to the sun.

He told magistrates: “I was sort of blinded by the sun.”

Doggett’s trial will be heard in the next 10 weeks before magistrates. A date will be fixed at the next hearing on August 1.

He was told if he was found guilty he would have to pay court costs of �620.

The crossing where the collision happened is the crossing where six-year-old Samantha Castledine was hit by a lorry and killed on her way to school. Following a community campaign after Samantha’s death, the Highways Agency agreed to make traffic calming improvements at the crossing.

anthony.carroll@archant.co.uk