A High Court judge who parked his car in Sheung Shui, obstructing other vehicles, pleaded guilty yesterday to road obstruction. Court of First Instance judge William Stone did not attend the court, but his lawyer admitted the offence, which occurred on Boxing Day last year, at Sha Tin Court before Deputy Special Magistrate Kevin Fung Yat-ho. Stone, 62, was fined HK$1,140. The judge, who had originally been scheduled for trial, was summonsed for contravening section four of the Fixed Penalty (Traffic Contraventions) Ordinance. This states that no one shall cause a vehicle to stand on a road in a way that is likely to cause unnecessary obstruction or endangers others. The judiciary said it would not take any special action as a result of the breach. Two police constables found Stone's car parked in Wai Wo Street, near the junction with Wai Ping Close, at about 6pm on December 26. They arrived after receiving a complaint about vehicles causing an obstruction. Wai Wo Street has two lanes and no metered parking. Stone's car was unoccupied and parked against the kerb, facing north, behind another vehicle, causing northbound vehicles using Wai Wo Street to slow down and move into the opposite lane to pass by. One of the constables issued a fixed-penalty ticket and left it on Stone's car. Other vehicles were also parked in Wai Wo Street at the time. Stone was the registered owner of the car.
