after he illegally parked, Magistrates' Court heard yesterday.

Gregory Wright, 37, of Spicery Lane, Warwick pleaded not guilty to using offensive behaviour toward a Police officer and threatening him with a crash helmet.

The incident occurred on March 14 last year after Wright -- who was represented by Mr. Mark Diel -- was given a ticket for parking on a double line.

The court heard that Wright went to Little Lamb Nursery on Dundonald Street around noon that day to pick up his three-year-old daughter after the nursery called to tell him she was sick and was not breathing.

He admitted to threatening a Police officer once because he said the officer showed a complete disregard for the welfare of his child.

The arresting officer P.c. Philip Lewis earlier told the court he handed the child to a lady who he thought worked at the nursery.

But yesterday Dorothy Nisbett -- who happened to be in the area at the time -- said she was never approached by any Police officer about the child. Nisbett said the Police ignored the little girl after her father was taken away.

"She was crying and screaming hysterically,'' she told Senior Magistrate the Wor. Will Francis. "No-one was looking after her at that stage.

"I stood there watching her through the (defendant's) car window. The Police officer in the car was fumbling with the ignition trying to get the car started.

"Then the mother instinct kicked in. I said what are they going to do with her? I opened up the back of the car and reached in and picked her up.'' She said the officer started the car and drove off, without a backward glance to her and the child.

"I was wondering what I was going to do with this child whom I didn't know,'' Nisbett said.

"A lady from the nursery came up and said she would take the child. Then Carolyn Lambe (also a nursery teacher) whom I knew, came across the street and said it was OK, they would take the baby. I didn't know the other lady but I knew Carolyn so I gave the baby to her.'' Nisbett said when she took the baby from the car, the child's helmet was in the back seat. This also conflicted with the testimony of P.c. Lewis who said Wright threatened him twice with the crash helmet after the baby was placed in the car.

Nisbett also said she saw P.c. Lewis slap the ticket on Wright's windshield with force, which P.c. Lewis earlier denied.

Lambe later said the little girl was running a fever of 103 degrees.

She said her aunt, who ran the nursery, telephoned Wright because the child's mother could not be contacted.

But she denied that she told her aunt to call Wright a second time because the child had stopped breathing, as Wright claimed.

"I never told my aunt she stopped breathing,'' Lambe said. "I didn't think there was anything drastically wrong with her.'' She also said no Police officer ever spoke to her about the child.

After Nisbett handed the child over to her, Lambe said she took the child across the street to a cousin who was also a teacher.

The case was adjourned until next Wednesday when Mr. Diel and prosecutor Sgt.

Rex Osborne were expected to make summations.