No Charge for Brunstroms daughter
Discussion
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/3291109.stm
Last Updated: Thursday, 4 December, 2003, 15:05 GMT
No charge against police chief daughter
Richard Brunstrom has been accused of an 'obsession' with speeding drivers
The daughter of the North Wales Police Chief Constable Richard Brunstrom will not be prosecuted after a newspaper allegedly caught her speeding.
The Sun claimed its reporter had clocked Kate Brunstrom doing 69 mph in a 50 mph zone in Colwyn Bay.
Journalists from the tabloid newspaper were trying to catch Kate Brunstrom's father Richard Brunstrom breaking the speeding laws after his force's high profile crackdown on speeding provoked severe criticism.
It began earlier this year when Mr Brunstrom compared a 71-year-old driver who had been speeding to a "17 year old yob" after the pensioner complained about the fine he had to pay.
Mr Brunstrom had also described speeding motorists as "anti-social" and "criminals" - leading to accusations that he was "obsessed" with speeding motorists at the expense of fighting crime.
In August the newspaper published pictures of the Brunstom family's Ford Focus which it alleged was doing nearly 20 miles per hour over the limit on the A55 near Llandudno Junction.
It went on to claim it had used the same type of speed gun as the police themselves use and forwarded its "evidence" to North Wales Police who in turn passed it onto the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS).
But on Thursday it emerged that the CPS had said that Kate Brunstrom will not be prosecuted, as the speed gun was not an approved device and that The Sun's reporter was not trained in using it as a police officer would be.
The CPS called in colleagues from outside Wales to deal with the case, and has stressed it was dealt with in the same way as any other motorist.
In the past, Mr Brunstrom has defended his tough stance on speeding motorists.
In an interview with BBC Wales Today he said: "A quite unpleasant thread running through some of the national media and some of the interest groups pursuing an obsessional and irrational scheme to discredit the government's National Safety Camera project."
"They're not going to succeed."
A statement issued by North Wales Police on Thursday read: "The investigation and assessment of this matter has been conducted outside North Wales.
"We understand that the Crown Prosecution Service have concluded that there is insufficient evidence to prosecute Kate Brunstrom.
"The chief constable will not be making any personal statement about this matter, and as far as we are concerned the case is now closed
Last Updated: Thursday, 4 December, 2003, 15:05 GMT
No charge against police chief daughter
Richard Brunstrom has been accused of an 'obsession' with speeding drivers
The daughter of the North Wales Police Chief Constable Richard Brunstrom will not be prosecuted after a newspaper allegedly caught her speeding.
The Sun claimed its reporter had clocked Kate Brunstrom doing 69 mph in a 50 mph zone in Colwyn Bay.
Journalists from the tabloid newspaper were trying to catch Kate Brunstrom's father Richard Brunstrom breaking the speeding laws after his force's high profile crackdown on speeding provoked severe criticism.
It began earlier this year when Mr Brunstrom compared a 71-year-old driver who had been speeding to a "17 year old yob" after the pensioner complained about the fine he had to pay.
Mr Brunstrom had also described speeding motorists as "anti-social" and "criminals" - leading to accusations that he was "obsessed" with speeding motorists at the expense of fighting crime.
In August the newspaper published pictures of the Brunstom family's Ford Focus which it alleged was doing nearly 20 miles per hour over the limit on the A55 near Llandudno Junction.
It went on to claim it had used the same type of speed gun as the police themselves use and forwarded its "evidence" to North Wales Police who in turn passed it onto the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS).
But on Thursday it emerged that the CPS had said that Kate Brunstrom will not be prosecuted, as the speed gun was not an approved device and that The Sun's reporter was not trained in using it as a police officer would be.
The CPS called in colleagues from outside Wales to deal with the case, and has stressed it was dealt with in the same way as any other motorist.
In the past, Mr Brunstrom has defended his tough stance on speeding motorists.
In an interview with BBC Wales Today he said: "A quite unpleasant thread running through some of the national media and some of the interest groups pursuing an obsessional and irrational scheme to discredit the government's National Safety Camera project."
"They're not going to succeed."
A statement issued by North Wales Police on Thursday read: "The investigation and assessment of this matter has been conducted outside North Wales.
"We understand that the Crown Prosecution Service have concluded that there is insufficient evidence to prosecute Kate Brunstrom.
"The chief constable will not be making any personal statement about this matter, and as far as we are concerned the case is now closed
What has his adult daughter got to do with Brunstrom's speeding fixation? Leave the woman alone. All she seems to be is of the opinion that to exceed the speed limit in safety is OK. Isn't that what a lot of the correspondents here believe? If you were playing rugby and the opposing side's flanker was punching you, would you go into the spectators and kick his daughter?
Children of police officers have enough to put up with without having the press vindictively target them. Cut her some slack.
And as for Brustrom using his authority to get the charge dropped, there is no evidence that can be produced in court of her speeding. If she had been a normal member of the public (which, in reality, she is) the charge would have been binned by a prosecutions clerk.
Having a go at a public person such as Brunstrom is acceptable, part of his job. Picking on this woman is unfair.
Children of police officers have enough to put up with without having the press vindictively target them. Cut her some slack.
And as for Brustrom using his authority to get the charge dropped, there is no evidence that can be produced in court of her speeding. If she had been a normal member of the public (which, in reality, she is) the charge would have been binned by a prosecutions clerk.
Having a go at a public person such as Brunstrom is acceptable, part of his job. Picking on this woman is unfair.
I can see why the media are attempting to have a field day with this, but in all honesty I'm glad that an ordinary member of the public is unable to simply purchase a speed gun, point it at another member of the public, and successfully secure a speeding prosecution.
Let's stand back a moment and think about the worriying precedent that would have been set if she HAD been successfully convicted on this 'evidence'.
Let's stand back a moment and think about the worriying precedent that would have been set if she HAD been successfully convicted on this 'evidence'.
JonRB said:
I can see why the media are attempting to have a field day with this, but in all honesty I'm glad that an ordinary member of the public is unable to simply purchase a speed gun, point it at another member of the public, and successfully secure a speeding prosecution.
Let's stand back a moment and think about the worriying precedent that would have been set if she HAD been successfully convicted on this 'evidence'.
Aaah... but it's acceptable when some 85 year old wrinklies in a village are allowed to be speed vigilantes and is supported by the local Scamera gangsters, is it????? Untrained, and probably illegally used speed guns??? and nowt is said????
I can agree with the young lady "getting off" on a technicality, that's what we all do, but I CANNOT BELIEVE that Brunscum had no words with his "colleagues" in the CPS (even if in another county) that didn't influence the outcome............ that's my gripe!!!
JMGS4 said:Nope. I don't think that is acceptable either.
Aaah... but it's acceptable when some 85 year old wrinklies in a village are allowed to be speed vigilantes and is supported by the local Scamera gangsters, is it????? Untrained, and probably illegally used speed guns??? and nowt is said????
JMGS4 said:
Aaah... but it's acceptable when some 85 year old wrinklies in a village are allowed to be speed vigilantes and is supported by the local Scamera gangsters, is it????? Untrained, and probably illegally used speed guns??? and nowt is said????
Its not.
I think you get a letter from the BiB asking you to slow down rather than a NIP.
>> Edited by bluepolarbear on Friday 5th December 19:58
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