The head of Police Prosecutions will have to wait until next year to learn his fate on a traffic offence stemming from a two-car accident.

Insp. Kenrick James, of Alexander Road, Devonshire, has denied driving without due care on Middle Road, at the junction of Montpelier Road, on September 23, 1996.

Yesterday, Magistrate Arthur Hodgson visited the Devonshire scene of the two-car accident.

And he heard closing arguments from the Crown and James' lawyer Michael Telemaque.

When the prosecution put their case earlier this year, tension ran high when a Police constable testified against James.

The court heard that Luisa Almeida, of Parson's Road, Pembroke, was turning onto Middle Road when James, who was travelling east on Middle Road from Hamilton, crashed into her.

But James has maintained that the accident was the fault of P.c. Beverly Basden who was directing traffic at the junction that morning.

P.c. Basden told the court she had arrived at the junction to direct traffic just before 8 a.m. on September 23 and put on her rain gear as it was "raining quite heavily''.

She said about five minutes after 8 a.m. she was standing near the centre line of the T-junction when she raised her hand to stop traffic on Middle Road in order to allow vehicles from Montpelier Road to turn on to the Middle Road.

P.c. Basden said when the first car was about to turn the corner on her signal, a grey car coming from the west struck the car in the middle of the intersection.

But when she was asked by Mr. Telemaque to clarify the directions of the cars and where she was standing, P.c. Basden said she was confused on the directions of the scene.

Mr. Telemaque also asked P.c. Basden if she had seen traffic coming from the direction of Hamilton (from the west).

"You can see traffic in the corner of your eye, but I was concentrating on the traffic coming out of Montpelier Road and my hand signal was sufficient,'' she had responded.

Yesterday, Crown counsel Leighton Rochester reminded Mr. Hodgson that even if the Police officer was not concentrating on the traffic from the west, the officer did have her hand up -- meaning west-bound traffic had to stop.

And Mr. Telemaque informed the court that if Mr. Hodgson found in his client's favour, he would apply for costs.

Mr. Hodgson adjourned the case until January 7.