Saturday, March 27, 2010

I can imagine the result if I tried this

Now if I did 95 mph on a 50 mph road and got caught, I'd expect a fine, points on my license and possibly a ban. I certainly wouldn't appeal as I'd consider myself banged to rights over the incident.

Not Police Sgt Craig Nicholas Jones however, he's a special case and knows the loopholes in the law.

BBC.
A policeman caught driving at 98mph, nearly twice a 50mph limit, should not have been prosecuted, it is claimed.
Sgt Craig Nicholas Jones, 40, an organised crime officer, is appealing against a speeding conviction. A decision is expected next week.
His barrister Simon Gurney claimed at Caernarfon Crown Court that it was an "abuse of process".
He said North Wales Police had adopted a policy of not enforcing the speed limit because 50mph signs were unlit.
Mr Gurney said this should have applied to Sgt Jones, when he was caught on the stretch of the A55 expressway concerned, at Colwyn Bay.
Prisoner
The barrister also insisted that, as the signs did not comply with regulations because their lighting had failed, Sgt Jones' conviction should be overturned.
Mr Gurney said: "His knowledge of the speed limit isn't a relevant factor."
A district judge fined Sgt Jones, an advanced police driver, £500 and banned him for 90 days at Llandudno last December.
The penalties were lifted ahead of the appeal.
He had denied speeding late at night last April while taking a prisoner in a police VW Golf to Caernarfon, but was convicted.
The crown court judge and two magistrates who head the case are to give their decision next week.
First off, I doubt a member of the public would or could get away with this, we'd just pay up. Not enforcing a speed limit is ok if the motorists are driving sensibly, 98 mph doesn't strike me as being that sensible, though I'm not au fait with the road or conditions, nor would I expect that the general public would know of the decision not to enforce. Still I wouldn't have thought ignoring someone doing 98 mph is going to happen on that road, 60 mph perhaps, even 70 mph but certainly no more.
I think Sgt Craig Nicholas Jones should just take his punishment and get on with it, not try to avoid it and give the impression of one law for the police.

1 annotations:

James Higham said...

One rule for one ...