Speeding, what actually happens…

Welcome to Week 11 of the court visit breakdown!

Here is your backstory:

  • This was in the Magistrates court

  • I observed what actually happens when you get caught speeding, and fail to acknowledge the notices sent to you

  • In this instance there was a single judge rather than three magistrates

So, I decided to switch it up and sit in the Magistrate’s court instead of the Crown Court. This can be just as interesting, and often runs at a lot faster pace, getting through multiple less serious cases within the hour.

During the case that I observed, the defendant entered, having been court ordered, to attend on the premise that he had been speeding. The defendant had gone 38 mph in a 30 zone.

Typically, in this instance the defendant will have been sent a letter, stating that they have been caught speeding and will need to pay a fine (usually £100). However, it can be typical that the individual has not updated their address, and therefore, this letter gets sent to the wrong address and never seen by the driver. This is what had happened here. Where the defendant missed the initial letter, the court sent a letter also explaining the defendant had not cooperated in the appropriate manner, and any additional fees will be added and taken from the defendant’s salary. Again that letter was missed, however, once the money was taken the defendant then noticed.

Initially, the defendant had been given 6 points on his licence and a fine of £1,020. This is issued generally, without taking into consideration the specific defendant, and their financial situation (e.g. how much they get paid annually).

So, once the defendant came to court, he was making a statutory declaration (signed, formal statement to declare something as true). This then removed the charges he had been given and effectively started the process again. He took the pledge for a statutory declaration, and then plead guilty to speeding. The judge then provided the defendant with 3 points on his licence, and a £260 fine. This includes the £100 he initially would have paid if he had received the letters, £40 for being given a court order and £120 in costs. This being drastically lowered once the judge was able to be specific to this defendant.

I found this to be quite interesting to watch as a speeding offence is so common, but you don’t often get to see what actually happens when you miss the initial paperwork and end up having to go to court.

Thanks for reading! See you next week!