Not quite sure where the word "trial" keeps coming from.

On the basis of the original post the case will be a guilty plea with mitigation being put forward as to how the offence came to be committed, and then personal mitigation about how any period of disqualification will affect the individual.

If there is an issue as to whether or not disqualification will lead to loss of employment, it might be helpful to get a letter from your employer in support, preferrably signed and on headed paper, to produce in court on the day.

In relation to any comments about magistrates "not living in the real world" and being "fickle", they are guided by national sentencing guidelines, with a view to greater consistency in decision-making, thereby reducing the possibility of perverse sentencing decisions.

I can,t be the only person who ever defended themselves,

Nope, I did, 7 day ban, for well over twice the limit.

Mind you was a long time ago, probably get a (deserved) short stretch at HMP these days no matter what.

Nope, I did, 7 day ban, for well over twice the limit.

Mind you was a long time ago, probably get a (deserved) short stretch at HMP these days no matter what.

Not to mention means tested fines... :thumbdwn:

i would suggest going through the paperwork the court send you with a very fine tooth pick to find any errors or paperwork thats not been filled out fully or incorrectly that could also be used to get you off.

i put a post bout speedin mate.

all best with it.

as said go to court suited n booted and show remorse.

63 in 30 and i got 6 points and 410 fine inc costs.

had my troopy give a nice speach though which helped.

all the best.

billy

search for traffic officers or along these lines for my post if you interested mate.

"search for traffic officers or along these lines for my post if you interested mate".

Already on the case mate, and PM'd J.T.

But being "in the job", I feel fully qualified to voice my opinions on magistrates, as I have the scars to prove it :D.

Would be interesting to see what an individual's view of being "qualified" to voice opinions means, as opposed to those who like to think they know the legal in's and out's of motoring cases.

Haven't yet come across the legal term bullsh*ting, but I'm sure it must be in the statute books somewhere

I'd suggest a qualified, called and practising barrister or a solicitor with experience of advocacy working those sort of cases regularly would cover it

I didn't say blue badge == not able to drive.

Blue badge means you are disabled in some, potentially very small, way which does not render you incapable to drive within the limits of the law.

However depending on the nature of the reason why the blue badge was issued, I could see circumstances (I don't know yours) where a person having a bad day could start down the road of something like this.

- Blue badge as difficulty walking/something else

- Ok to drive at limit

- But if you have sufficient capacity to drive fast etc then why do you have a blue badge?

- Well my muscles are a bit slow/vision a bit poor/some perfectly valid reason.

- Ahh so you were doing 100mph and admit your vision/control is not ideal...

- So then surely by going past the speed limit you were in fact knowingly driving without due car/dangerously etc...

Eg if you're not careful it can be twisted by somebody to have you admit to a more serious charge.

So to the OP, apologies if you took my comments in a way that was not intended and to all the people who have jumped on the bandwagon if you could get off it, that would be great.

you didnt word it that great but i do apolagise for jumping on you

i understand where you are coming from now. sorry dude

all the best

HI JT if you are going down the legal representation path google" Nick Freeman Loophole King"show,s what can be achieved if you have the cash, cheers Mel B

Edited 14 January, 200917 yr by mellyboy

I had to deal with this problem on a regular basis when the company's reps were caught speeding.

The more written information you have in mitigation the better.

If someone at the company you work for is willing to stand up and say you WILL lose your job, then you have a very good chance of escaping a ban. We found that a company manager always did better than a solicitor.

Next best thing would be a copy of any company policy on banned drivers (if one exists) and a copy of your job description which shows you need to drive. Some of the reps who decided not to tell us, were often banned because they didn't have this basic information in court.

Your blue badge can also be used in mitigation, but make sure that you have a written description stating the reason for having a blue badge. The medical notes that accompanied the application would be ideal. Put in writing exactly what impact this would have on you (difficult/lack of bus services).

Make sure you put a full apology in writing. 'out of character', 'really sorry', 'there was no excuse', 'already learned you lesson', 'fear of losing job', etc. This maybe BS but if you put it in writing they have to at least consider it.

Make sure you submit the above in writing before the court date so the magistrates can consider it before the hearing. If you leave it to the day, then you might make a mess of it or just forget some of it. We found that the reps got an 'easier ride' when the magistrates already knew what they were going to say.

Hope this helps.

Edited 14 January, 200917 yr by rwbaldwin

Once again - thanks to everyone who has replied to my post.

It has helped me to plan my actions in the best way to deal with this issue.

I will report back after the 26th with an update.

Cheers,

John.

Best of luck John, you really don't want to have Ken as your driver

Good Luck John ,

This may be stating the obvious, so I apologise if it is, but all magistrates' courts dealing with traffic case are open courts, so any member of the public is entitled to go in and sit in the public gallery to observe the proceedings.

It might assist you to find out when the court dealing with your case (or your local court) has some similar cases listed to enable you go along to observe. That way you'll be able to see what sort of things are said, and how to conduct your case.

It would also mean that things aren't quite so daunting for you on the day.

This may be stating the obvious, so I apologise if it is, but all magistrates' courts dealing with traffic case are open courts, so any member of the public is entitled to go in and sit in the public gallery to observe the proceedings.

It might assist you to find out when the court dealing with your case (or your local court) has some similar cases listed to enable you go along to observe. That way you'll be able to see what sort of things are said, and how to conduct your case.

It would also mean that things aren't quite so daunting for you on the day.

Thanks a lot for the suggestion - unfortunately as I live in Hertfordshire and work from a London office, I haven't got much opportunity to do this as the court is in Wakefield!

I am going to turn up there on Monday with a well rehearsed story of remorse and take my chances.

I will report back after.

Cheers,

John.

Don't forget that if they ban you it applies immediately i.e. you can't drive home.

Don't forget that if they ban you it applies immediately i.e. you can't drive home.

So make sure you don't park in the court car park but one a few minutes walk away. he police love catching people who have just been banned driving away from the hearing!!

Remember if you do decide to defend yourself, the magistrates courts are the 'peoples' court. They will give you respect if you represent yourself and will, to a certain extent, help you.

I've contested a ticket(s:O) and represented myself in court. It is not as scary as it sounds. The CPS are often unprepared and sometimes don't even turn up!!

if cps dont turn up it will work in your favour. do a search for Nick Freeman and CPS failure to turn up. Also have a quick look at his cases at some of the technicalities he has used

if cps dont turn up it will work in your favour. do a search for Nick Freeman and CPS failure to turn up. Also have a quick look at his cases at some of the technicalities he has used

I think you are missing the point. It looks as though Jay-Tee is one of the few who knows he has been caught speeding and is willing to acknowledge the fact.

Sorry to stand on my soapbox, but at the end of the day, if you either choose to break the speed limit, or through paying insufficient attention to your speedo drift over the limit, then you should be prepared to take the consequences, and not look for loopholes to 'get you off'.

When all's said and done, it boils down to morals - some have them, some don't - it appears as though Jay-Tee does.

Well done Jay-Tee, and good luck with your case.

all i was pointing to if cps dont turn up he can apply to the court for an aqquital as cps havent turned up to present there case and in which 3 points + 60 fine would be more than surfice.

the op whilst showing the remorse and reminding them the hardship that you would encounter including redundancy (as your company will use it to get rid of you as they are looking for ways to bring staffing levels down) which in turn in the current climate would mean you might be out of work 6 months +

No mention of pepipoo.com? The forum there deals specifically with these sorts of issues. Seems like already had good advice here anyway.

im suprised it didnt get a mention as many previous "ive been clocked at" threads have always ended up with a mention of it in there.

So make sure you don't park in the court car park but one a few minutes walk away. he police love catching people who have just been banned driving away from the hearing!!

!

So are you saying if the ban is instant, the OP should risk a jail term, another huge fine, and another 12 month ban, massive insurance hike?

I would suggest taking a friend/relation with full license and insurance for the car would be a better option.

The OP has shown great character by facing up to the situation. It would be a shame to see him hammered due to irresponsible information.

:iagree:

It is common for the magistrates to ask how you got there to see how seriously you taking the matter. How would you get the car back if you get banned?

Get someone to drive you.

As you are using the blue badge in mitigation, don't go by public transport.