got stopped today on the a4 coming out of town just before the hammersmith flyover 100 yards short of the 40 sign. no gun just two cops a man and a woman, one on a trainee bike he flagged me down, he said i think you were doing about sixty there no i replied about 50 or so i'm not sure (me thinking that i'm ok just before the 40 sign) anyway to cut a long story short a caution was given and a court appearance promised and a producer handed over had me scooby for 5 years never got stopped for speeding what happens now?

got me 10 month old on me lap hence lower case!"!! apologises..

 

Hi mate,sorry to hear that you got stopped.

You say you got a caution,and a producer? What is the document code at the top? If its a HORT1,then all you have got is a producer,and any mention of a court case has just been said to make you worry for a bit! However,if its a different code,then you may well have been issued a speeding ticket,but it doesnt sound likely. Also,how did you know that the bike was for training? As far as i am aware,the use the same bikes for training as they do for everyday patrols.

Let me know what the ticket is though,and will try and help more if i can

 

Providing you are not breaking the law before you get to the forty you should be ok Are you sure you didn't miss an earlier sign? You should never admit to anything anyway

 

So on what basis are they saying you were doing 60mph ?
Were they following you or just at the road side ?

Andy

 

It is a hort1 form but he did take a notes and cautioned me on my rights to appear in court have found out that he has six months to fill in a report to take me to court. My problem is that with the advent of radar and gatsos firm evidence has to be used in court rather than " in my opinion your honour he was travelling at x mph" as that figure is always disputable. Can officers of the law stand by the side of the road and stop people because they think they are speeding???

 

Traffic lights at Barons Court 3 lanes for about 250 300 yards where one lane peels of as Hammersmith Flyovers slip road, sign for 40 is at the bottom of the bridge (what is the allowed speed limit on a dual carriageway anyway?)just before the slip road is a bp garage this is where he waved me down from the overtaking lane had to break fairly hard luckily there was no one behind me when he did.

 

I think they are winding you up , if they were just stood at the side of the road without a speed camera there is no way they can tell exactly how fast you are going....not with enough acuracy to stand up in court.....Why spend thousands on equipment if thats all they had to do ??

Andy

 

it doesnt sound like you have got too much to worry about,he has just decided to make you sweat for a bit! The speed limit on that strech is 50mph (assuming you are going into london from the Hogarth r/bout towards Hammersmith). If you were not given a speeding ticket at the time of being stopped,then one wont get sent through the post. Only when caught by a Gatso will that happen,and yes,it can take up to 3 months to arrive.

 

Traffic officers can give expert evidence of opinion on speed without the need to actually record your speed, and the court can convict.

Evidence of opinion is usually used in cases of Speed reckless where an officer can state that in "His/her opinion, the speed of the vehicle was in excess of the permitted maximum speed limit".

In the past I have reported someone for the offence on my own, but usually two officers will coroborate the evidence, but as I say evidence of opinion is usually only used in extreme cases.

If the Police were going to report you, then you should have received a verbal NIP at the side of the road which will be along the lines of "You will be reported for consideration of the question of prosecuting you for the offence of excess speed" and then you would have been given the second caution in line with PACE. If these words were not said, then it is unlikely that you will have been reported. The HO/RT1 is simply a requirement to produce your documents at a Police station of your choice withing 7 clear days of the date of being stopped.

Before any prosecution can take place, information must be laid before the Magistrates within 6 months of the date of the alleged offence. If it is 6 months and 1 day then it has to be binned. However, the actual prosecution can take place anything up to 18 months after the commital of the offence.

I wouldn't worry too much at the moment.