jaykay
6th November 2009, 12:31
This is car related, but it is relevant to all road users.
The good news is that the Police have just lost an appeal in the High Court concerning a motorist who was given a ticket for failing to stop at a stop sign.
The cost of this fiasco is rumoured to be $30,000 - (personally I would think it is more like $3000).
Anyway, an elderly gentleman was given this ticket for failing to stop - the Policeman concerned stated under oath he was 25 metres away from the junction - he wasn't - it was 70 metres - and in any case from either position he actually couldn't see the stop sign. He assumed the vehicle hadn't stopped - when it fact it had.
The High Court judge tore into the Police, the original JPs who had found the defendant guilty in the District Court, and the Crown lawyers for wasting time and costing the country money, and in fact they only disappointment was lack of costs (because the costs were already excessive). The case was dismissed.
It helped that the gentleman concerned has no money (and hence nothing to lose), and he comes across well in court as someone trying to do the right thing.
So sometimes justice does prevail. Mind you what may have assisted matters is the Police spent some hours measuring up the junction, and all their figures, pictures and diagrams showed the original Policeman lied under oath.
The good news is that the Police have just lost an appeal in the High Court concerning a motorist who was given a ticket for failing to stop at a stop sign.
The cost of this fiasco is rumoured to be $30,000 - (personally I would think it is more like $3000).
Anyway, an elderly gentleman was given this ticket for failing to stop - the Policeman concerned stated under oath he was 25 metres away from the junction - he wasn't - it was 70 metres - and in any case from either position he actually couldn't see the stop sign. He assumed the vehicle hadn't stopped - when it fact it had.
The High Court judge tore into the Police, the original JPs who had found the defendant guilty in the District Court, and the Crown lawyers for wasting time and costing the country money, and in fact they only disappointment was lack of costs (because the costs were already excessive). The case was dismissed.
It helped that the gentleman concerned has no money (and hence nothing to lose), and he comes across well in court as someone trying to do the right thing.
So sometimes justice does prevail. Mind you what may have assisted matters is the Police spent some hours measuring up the junction, and all their figures, pictures and diagrams showed the original Policeman lied under oath.