Years ago, living on Exmoor among ruggedly free-spirited hill farmers who saw it as a point of honour to get the better of all forms of authority, I witnessed a remarkable legal victory.
When Farmer George received a summons after a policeman had noticed a bald tyre on his car parked in South Molton on market day, George surprised the policeman, the clerk to the court, and everybody in the Sportsman's Inn, the local Exmoor pub, when he announced that he was going to plead not guilty.
There was considerable speculation over how George was going to fight a case which looked cast-iron solid against him.
On the day of the trial, George walked into court with a tyre under his arm.
When the accusing officer gave his evidence, George asked him:
"Officer, was it raining on the day you examined my tyre?"
"I can’t rightly remember", replied the officer, puzzled.
"Records will show, your Worships, that it was raining quite hard that day", said George, adding, "now officer, bearing in mind that it was a rainy day, did you examine my tyre very closely?"
"Yes, I certainly did that", replied the policeman.
"In that case you’ll recognise this tyre then ", said George, holding it up.
He passed it over to the policeman who looked at it in a puzzled manner.
"Is that the tyre?" asked George.
"I can't say if I rightly know", replied the policeman.
"But you say you examined it closely", said George.
"But I can't be expected to recognise the tyre after several weeks," said the policeman.
"It says here", said George holding up the summons, “that it was the offside front tyre that was the tyre in question".
"That's right", said the policeman.
"Well this be the offside front tyre which was on my car that day”.
"How can it you be sure that it was?" challenged the policeman.
"How can you be sure that it wasn't?" replied George.
There was a long silence in the court.
"Now you tell me if there's anything wrong with the tread on that tyre", said George.
There was laughter in the court, and the policeman looked harassed and flummoxed.
"I am quite sure that the tread on that tyre is perfectly legal”, intervened the chairman of the magistrates, "case dismissed."
"Consider yourself fortunate", the magistrate added to Farmer George, "and don’t count on getting away with it again."
Looking every bit as innocent as he had been legally found to be, George carried the tyre out of the court as though it was a banner of honour.
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