According to sources from the Mirror, Liverpool football star Joe Cole faces a possible driving ban after being caught doing 105mph on a police speed gun! He did not attend the hearing at Staines Magistrates Court; he was instead represented by a barrister instructed by Nick “Mr. Loophole” Freemans firm, who have represented the rich and the famous in countless cases.
His barrister reportedly argued that he was not driving the £40,000 Audi A4 on the A3 road in Surrey last year when he was caught. This argument was quickly quashed, as he was apparently seen smiling on video footage. He also tried to argue that the speed gun was not working when he was clocked, and called for an adjournment. Seemingly sensible Judge Clive Wiles instead refused to adjourn the hearing at public expense, and criticised Cole for not attending the hearing, and found him guilty of the offence. He has warned that a driving disqualification is a possible outcome on the books for next week’s sentencing. You can brush off a seeding fine on a £90,000 a week wage, but a driving ban will put you at an inconvenience!
Speeding is probably the most common driving offence on Britain’s roads. I imagine this is because it’s easier to get away with – police presence isn’t exactly huge, and it’s easy enough to slow down to pass a traffic officer on the motorways or to dodge a standing speed camera. So perhaps we might want to follow the Spanish suit – although this next story from the Daily Mail is largely orientated around British fine dodgers abroad in the Spanish Costas!
According to the report (source), Traffic Chiefs are sick of binning driving penalties for British drivers they know will never be paid before they return home to the UK. They have devised a new system to issue on the spot fines for anyone with a foreign registered vehicle! Fixed speeding cameras are able to spot a foreign registered vehicle and alert the nearest police car to give chase and issue the fine in person to the offender. Officers can immobilise foreign vehicles to prevent them from leaving the country until they have paid there fines.
The source quotes the system as “ingenious” – and I have to say, I agree. I wasn’t aware there was an issue of foreigners escaping speeding fines by jumping the country before paying them! Apparently this is a problem across the whole of the EU. The idea that foreign motorists are being targeted however has been defended – it’s the fact that fines cannot be issued to foreign motorists because the domestic systems don’t know where to send them off to!
It’s a simple fact that speeding is dangerous. The law is there for a reason. If you are the victim of a road accident that was not your fault, then it is likely you have a claim for compensation. Speak to an expert injury lawyer for the best advice on claiming for compensation.