Truckie wins case against council

AN UNREPRESENTED truck driver has won his legal battle against Toowoomba Regional Council over a parking fine, with a magistrate ruling in favour of the truckie.

Speaking outside court following his underdog victory, former driver Richard Dominic Knapton said dealing with the legal matter had made the past two years extremely stressful and he was relieved that it was over, as the council had been quite “pig-headed”.

During the hearing in Toowoomba Magistrates Court, Mr Knapton, who now cares for his brother and 100-yearold mother, said he had parked his truck on the range to save it from rising floodwaters in Oakey in late 2021.

Toowoomba Magistrate Court was told that on December 4, the 61-year-old parked his truck in an area across from a park on Memory St, Harristown.

When it came to the attention of a council worker, Mr Knapton received an infringement notice for stopping a heavy vehicle on a road in a built-up area for more than one hour.

The former driver disputed the infringement notice at a hearing where he represented himself.

Specialist civil lawyer and director Clifford Gouldson Law, Harrison Humphries, represented Toowoomba Regional Council at the hearing on Monday, February 27.

Magistrate Kay Philipson said absolutely no evidence was submitted to the court to confirm or corroborate that Mr Knapton had indeed parked in a built-up area.

Mr Humphries submitted a screenshot of a Google Maps image, which depicted the roadway and buildings, however Ms Philipson said it was not a valid form of evidence.

Ms Philipson found Mr Knapton not guilty of stopping a heavy vehicle on a road in a built-up area for more than one hour.