Pleading guilty by post
Discussion
I got pulled a couple of months ago for 92mph on an empty M4. The officer would've issued me with a FPN but I am on a foreign license.
I got the summons in the post today, and it says I have the option to plead guilty by post and let the court sort it out without my attendance.
Are there any drawbacks to doing this? I got caught fair and square, and I have no mitigating circumstances. The only thing the BiB mentioned in the offence report was that I couldn't have been issued a FPN because I was on a foreign license, otherwise he would have issued one (which presumably is an indicator to the court to penalise me with a punishment equal to that of a FPN).
If I don't attend, will they come down harder on me than they would if I were to attend? Standard procedure in my case is to slap me with a £60-£100 fine and possibly put 3 points on a "phantom record" for me, but I'm afraid that my non-attendance will result in them having a little bit of fun with my sentencing.
Am I being paranoid? Because quite frankly I really cannot be bothered to take a day out to attend.
Thanks,
D
I got the summons in the post today, and it says I have the option to plead guilty by post and let the court sort it out without my attendance.
Are there any drawbacks to doing this? I got caught fair and square, and I have no mitigating circumstances. The only thing the BiB mentioned in the offence report was that I couldn't have been issued a FPN because I was on a foreign license, otherwise he would have issued one (which presumably is an indicator to the court to penalise me with a punishment equal to that of a FPN).
If I don't attend, will they come down harder on me than they would if I were to attend? Standard procedure in my case is to slap me with a £60-£100 fine and possibly put 3 points on a "phantom record" for me, but I'm afraid that my non-attendance will result in them having a little bit of fun with my sentencing.
Am I being paranoid? Because quite frankly I really cannot be bothered to take a day out to attend.
Thanks,
D
How long is a piece of string?
By all that is right you were prevented for being issued with a FPN because of your Licence status (perfectly legal) so therefore should receive the standard 60/3points.
But will the Magistrates accept this? Perhaps they may think that because it has come to Court it is more serious than normal, or Oh its a bloody foreigner that wants hammering, so fine/points increased.
NOT THAT THIS WILL HAPPEN YOU UNDERSTAND.
Me, as suggested, would tend in the circumstances to visit the Court and make sure that CPS Prosecutor outlines the case and that a FPN would have been the norm.
DVD
By all that is right you were prevented for being issued with a FPN because of your Licence status (perfectly legal) so therefore should receive the standard 60/3points.
But will the Magistrates accept this? Perhaps they may think that because it has come to Court it is more serious than normal, or Oh its a bloody foreigner that wants hammering, so fine/points increased.
NOT THAT THIS WILL HAPPEN YOU UNDERSTAND.
Me, as suggested, would tend in the circumstances to visit the Court and make sure that CPS Prosecutor outlines the case and that a FPN would have been the norm.
DVD
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