Musings and Snippets from a recently retired JP. I served for 31 years, mostly in west London. I was Chairman of my Bench for some years, and a member of the National Bench Chairmen's Forum All cases are based on real ones, but anonymised and composited. All opinions are those of one or more individuals. JPs swear to enforce the law of the land, whether or not they approve of it. Nothing on here constitutes legal advice.
Tuesday, December 24, 2013
Merry Christmas
Just a note to wish a happy Christmas to all of you, and to hope that we never meet professionally.
That's not a tremendously Christmassy sentiment. From what I've read of the blog I would be perfectly happy to sit with you or run into you at an MA training event
Two or three years ago I chaired a court where we heard a very polite and neatly-dressed young man "flashed" at eighty-odd at a point on the motorway where the limit was fifty because of road works. He came to argue (in person) that the signs reducing the limit were obscured by vegetation and that we should therefore treat it as a seventy. He had got the form two days after being flashed, on a Saturday, and he and his wife had immediately set off for the same spot where he took photos while she drove and sure enough, he had made out his case. Lucky for him the vegetation had not been trimmed back in the meantime.
So we agreed he should get fewer points than the Book suggests and then I turned over his means form to consider the fine. Member of the Bar. I could not resist saying "Mr X, if you do as well for your clients as you do for yourself you will go far".
I'm a solicitor in private life and a few weeks later I had a con with a member of the same chambers. And while I was in the waiting room in he came. He looked at me hard and I think he knew he had seen me before but could not remember where. I did not enlighten him!
Posts are pre-moderated. Please bear with us if this takes a little time, but the number of bores and obsessives was getting out of hand, as were the fake comments advertising rubbish.
That's not a tremendously Christmassy sentiment. From what I've read of the blog I would be perfectly happy to sit with you or run into you at an MA training event
ReplyDeleteIf the CPS ever decide to charge one of my arrests then we might meet sometime!
ReplyDeleteJaded
If I ever have to appear before the bench, I sincerely hope it is you.
ReplyDeleteI'm sure that would be very trying ;-)
ReplyDeleteTwo or three years ago I chaired a court where we heard a very polite and neatly-dressed young man "flashed" at eighty-odd at a point on the motorway where the limit was fifty because of road works. He came to argue (in person) that the signs reducing the limit were obscured by vegetation and that we should therefore treat it as a seventy. He had got the form two days after being flashed, on a Saturday, and he and his wife had immediately set off for the same spot where he took photos while she drove and sure enough, he had made out his case. Lucky for him the vegetation had not been trimmed back in the meantime.
ReplyDeleteSo we agreed he should get fewer points than the Book suggests and then I turned over his means form to consider the fine. Member of the Bar. I could not resist saying "Mr X, if you do as well for your clients as you do for yourself you will go far".
I'm a solicitor in private life and a few weeks later I had a con with a member of the same chambers. And while I was in the waiting room in he came. He looked at me hard and I think he knew he had seen me before but could not remember where. I did not enlighten him!