STATEMENT OF IAN LESLIE SHANAHAN

{1} My full name is IAN LESLIE SHANAHAN. I am a single man, and reside with my
widowed mother at her home at 57 Yates Avenue, Dundas Valley NSW 2117.

{2} I am a highly trained classical musician and a composer of modern art-music. I hold both
undergraduate and postgraduate degrees in music, including a Doctorate of Philosophy. I have
for many years been a Lecturer and Tutor in several music subjects within various universities,
music schools and conservatoria within New South Wales, although I do not hold any such
position at the moment.

{3} While driving my car (a white Ford Fairlane sedan, registration WYB577) on the way to a
musical rehearsal at Sydney University on Tuesday 8 August 2006, at about 4.00 pm I stopped
to buy petrol at the Caltex Service Station on the corner of Pennant Hills Road and Bettington
Road, North Parramatta. While approaching the traffic lights at the intersection there from
Carlingford, I could see that numerous vehicles where already in the Service Station area, and
that cars were indeed backed up into Pennant Hills Road out of that particular entrance to the
Service Station; so I turned right into Bettington Road and entered the Service Station from the
entrance on that street.

{4} While waiting for an available petrol bowser, my car was immediately behind a small
light-brown four-wheel drive. On my left were a number of vehicles parked parallel to the
bowsers (which were on my right), my car being at approximately 90 to them, the four-wheel
drive at about 135 (i.e. pointing right, towards the bowsers). I never saw who was driving the
four-wheel drive, but I did observe that there was a space of about 2 metres in front of this
vehicle, that the left-most bowser was now free (i.e. the one nearest the Service Station shop),
and that the driver of the four-wheel drive seemed not to wish to make use of this bowser, yet
did not move forward in order to let me through behind it. Hence I bipped my cars horn very
briefly, the idea being to request the vehicle ahead to move forward enough to allow me to pass
behind: it subsequently advanced about 1 metre. I could see that the resulting gap was now just
sufficient for me to proceed to the vacant bowser.

{5} As I inched straight forward very slowly (with the rear of the four-wheel drive now to my
right), I utilized both my rear-view and right-side mirrors to ensure that my car did not touch this
four-wheel drive; I also repeatedly looked directly through my cars right windows and at all
times saw that there was a space between the two vehicles. (Needless to say, I also felt no
impact with any other vehicle.) When I was finally completely past the four-wheel drive, I drove
on to the still-available bowser.

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 {6} Straight after I had turned my cars motor off, popped the rear registration-plate (behind
which is my cars fuel cap), removed my seat belt, and was about to alight from my car, I was
distracted by a repetitive rapping on my window: an agitated Chinese man was responsible for
this knocking, and he over and over again exclaimed the accusation You hit my car, you hit my
car!. I promptly exited my car and asked him which was his car; he pointed to the above-
mentioned four-wheel drive. I denied colliding with this vehicle, and walked over to it to see if it
were damaged in any way. I did notice a slight scuff mark on the passenger-side corner of its
rear bumper-bar, approximately 3 cm wide and 5 cm long; the curvature of the bumper-bar was
in no way deformed. I then said to the Chinese man, I didnt do this; my car never touched
yours. This [pointing to the scuff mark] was caused somewhere else. He replied: No, no. Is
new car. New car!. I repeated my denial and then walked back to my own car with the intention
of filling its petrol tank; the Chinese man followed me, still repeating his mantra You hit my
car!. At no time did he proffer his registration particulars to me, nor did he ask for mine. I
also quickly scrutinized the driver-side trim of my car, over its full length, noting that there was
no damage to it whatsoever.

{7} While I was putting petrol into my car, the Chinese man became increasingly aggressive
verbally and gesturally, to the point where I became rather irritated and said to him: Look. Will
you just fuck off and leave me alone. I remember him then saying to me You deny hitting my
car?, to which I replied Thats right. He then moved away towards the four-wheel drive. I
finished the task at hand, went into the shop to pay for the fuel, and drove off. As it happened,
the four-wheel drive left this Caltex Service Station at the same time as I did, both vehicles
proceeding eastwards along Pennant Hills Road, then turning right into Marsden Road,
Carlingford. The four-wheel drive soon turned off left into a side street, while I continued along
Marsden Road on my way to Sydney University.

Yours faithfully,

Dr Ian Shanahan.

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