75ZT Community

Guys, if you are unfortunate enough to be disqualified from driving PLEASE take it seriously If you know anybody who is likely to be disqualified, please make them aware of the foillowing.

I've mentioned this particular type of event several times but it happened again yesterday... TWICE.

At roughly 10:45 we dealt with a woman who was caught driving with excess alcohol. Amongst other things, she was disqualified from driving for 12 months. I made it perfectly clear that the disqualification started immediately and that she couldn't drive away from Court and I also explained the seriousness of driving whilst disqualified.

The same thing happened to another woman at 11:20 approximately, although hers was a "totting-up" disqualification following over enthusiastic use of her mobile phone whilst driving.

At 14:30 and 15:15 respectively, the two women were brought into my Court in custody, charged with driving whilst disqualified. In each case they had left the Court building and with breathtaking hubris had gone to their cars and driven out of the car park opposite. Both were stopped at they left the car park, arrested, and processed (charged) back to the Court. Both were apparently surprised to have been stopped, one of them being most indignant about how inconvenient it was.

In both cases they pleaded guilty ( not that I could think of an adequate defence ) and both were sentenced to immediate custody, without a PSR requirement, for four months.

It's not rocket science. There are Police officers wandering around Court buildings and in Wolverhampton, amongst others, they regularly run a sting operation to catch disqualified drivers. They know exactly what the Bench Chairman will have said and they are also aware of the dim view a Bench would take of a defendant flouting a Court Order within, literally, minutes of it being pronounced.

Contrary to what some people might have you think, the Police are not stupid... and in line with what most people think, Magistrates' Court Chairmen are grumpy old farts who dislike people who take the mickey

Edit: I almost forgot. Both defendants face a Court hearing to consider forfeiture of their vehicles.

It amazes me the people shown on the likes of Police Interceptors who are stopped because the ANPR system shows that the vehicle had no insurance.

'I ave. 'ere's my certificate'.

'Did you keep up the payments'

'Yer, my missus deals with that'

The Police then make a phone call...'the payments were not kept up, the insurance company sent you a letter telling you that your insurance is cancelled and now we are giving you a ticket and taking your car'.

So Paul you just cannot help some people.