£200 Speeding fine

[Captin Kirk]

A work colleague has been to court and fined £200 plus £15 victim surcharge for speeding but has not let on the details what the offence was but I am nosey and would like to know lol.

Is it possible to know how quickly or how much over the speed limit they were doing based on this fine or do other factors come into play such as previous convictions or existing points on their licence?

Thanks.

[New Judge]

The number of points awarded or the length of disqualification imposed would be a better guide than the fine.

[Captin Kirk]

Thanks for the reply ... unfortunately the fine awarded is the only information I am aware of.

[hc4361]

The magistrates court judgements are published in my free local weekly newspaper.

[Captin Kirk]

They are posted in our local evening paper, that's how he was rumbled but they only publish the information I originally posted.

[New Judge]

The fact that your colleague’s case went to court might help, but you can still be far from sure of the details of the offence from the minimal information you have.

The vast majority of speeding offences are dealt with by way of a fixed penalty (FP) - £60 and 3 points - but there are several reasons why a case may be dealt with in court instead:

1. The driver may have been unable to accept a fixed penalty because he was not in possession of his licence (for example it may be with the DVLA for amendment).

2. The driver may have declined the FP and opted for a court appearance either because he denied the offence (in which case a trial would be held) or he wanted the court to hear mitigation.

3. A fixed penalty may not have been offered because he already had nine points on his licence and a further offence would make him liable to a disqualification under the “totting up” rules.

4. A fixed penalty may not have been offered because he was driving too fast.

It’s of course very speculative but you can almost certainly rule out (1). In these cases the magistrates are usually minded to impose a fine equivalent to the fixed penalty. Not many people opt for a court appearance. Few plead not guilty and those intending to plead guilty usually know that the FP is “good value”, so (2) is probably unlikely. If your colleague is still driving you can probably rule out (3), although there is a possibility that he was successful with an “exceptional hardship” plea and so retained his licence. So it is a reasonable assumption that the case went to court because of (4) - he was driving too fast for a fixed penalty offer.

The Association of Chief Police Officers’ guidelines suggest that FPs should not be offered where the alleged speed exceeds 95mph in a 70 limit, 85 (in 60), 75 (50), 65 (40), 49 (30) and 34 (20). So if your assum

[New Judge]

So if your assumptions are right this can give you some idea of the speed alleged.

[Jemisa]

Last year my neighbour was done for doing 85mph in a 60mph zone and was pulled over by the police and fined £200 on the spot. (had to pay within 7 days)

jem

[mike11111]

And I thought that Blanche from Corrie had died!

[New Judge]

In England and Wales, Jemisa, the only fixed penalty available for speeding is £60 and 3 points. If the driver is stopped by the police he has to surrender his licence at the time he is stopped or within seven days to a police station of his choice. He has 28 days from the date of the offence to either accept the offer of a fixed penalty and pay the £60, or to request a court appearance.