Newport Magistrates Court have told me that I had been convicted of a speeding offence in my absence. The offence was caught on a speed camera. Penalty points were endorsed upon my driving licence and a fine, prosecution and criminal courts were ordered to be paid. The total comes to about £1000. I did not receive any notification of the court proceedings and do not accept that I was speeding. What shall I do?The Magistrates Court in Newport is likely to deal with countless road traffic offences and mistakes can sometimes be made by the police, the court and the postal service. If you were unaware of the proceedings there are a number of routes that you can take to ensure that the speeding conviction is over turned or reconsidered but you must act immediately as strict time limits apply.
The options are to make a statutory declaration at the Magistrates Court confirming that you were unaware of the speeding summons. Secondly, request that the Magistrates Court reopen the speeding conviction in the interests of justice. Finally consider an appeal to the Crown Court against both the conviction and sentence imposed. Strict time limits apply so you should act immediately. In all three situations, the court will then reconsider the evidence and the facts of speeding offence.
Provided you are successful in your respective application and the court agree that you were not speeding, your conviction for exceeding the speed limit and the penalty points will be removed. Moreover the fine and costs imposed will also be wiped from your record. In fact you may also be entitled to the legal costs of defending the allegations being reimbursed by the court. Advice and representation from #1 Motoring Solicitors would also assist in ensuring that you achieve the best possible result.