Danny,
You are one for bringing back some memories.
My third job at the age of 18 around 1970 was working in the stores of Peugeot's dealers in Greencoat Place near Victoria station.
The 403 was coming to the end of its life by then, being edged out in favour of the 404 but it was amazing how many were still coming to be serviced. Lost count of how many had been "round the clock" and still going strong.
While working there I also had my first brush with the law, albeit on the good side and also my one and only appearance in court. Funny that in 24 years working for the police in later years I never got a court appearance for them even thought I must have taken hundreds of emergency calls in that time.
So there I am, working in the stores, when a guy turns up with his right arm in a sling. He came in to buy quite a few spares and wanted to pay by cheque. Because of his broken arm he asked me to write out the cheque so I checked with my boss who said it was OK as long as he signed it as best he could. He also showed the boss some form of ID as a doctor.
Quite a few months later and the local plod come round. The cheque had been stolen from a car along with a few other bits and pieces including a doctors driving licence and prescription pad. The police had followed this one up because drugs had been obtained via the use of the pad.
So I'm now in court being spoken at by the defence who have just asked me what I was doing on a date just three weeks ago to which replied I could not remember.
"So if you can't remember that how can you be sure that my client visited your store on a date several months ago."
"He had his arm in a sling."
"And how can you tell this was the cheque that was passed to you on the date in question if you can't remember what you were doing three weeks ago." Said with a smug look and the client looking pleased that he had a thinking defence lawyer.
Cheque is then passed to me to look at.
"Yes I remember this cheque quite clearly, I wrote it out myself and your client signed it as best he could."
You should have seen the look on the defence's face. Clearly our tealeaf had forgotten that bit or at least not told his lawyer.
Police 1 Tealeaf 0.