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A 71-year-old man in the UK reportedly spent almost 30,000 pounds
($37,000) fighting a 100-pound speeding fine over several years, but in
the end sill lost the case.
Retired engineer Richard Keedwell’s troubles began in November of 2016,
when during a day trip to Worcester, he was clocked by police doing
35mph in a 30mph zone. Only he didn’t agree, and recalls having his day
ruined by the notice of intended prosecution (NIP) he got in the mail a
few days later. He was convinced he couldn’t have been speeding, so he
put down “no case to answer” on the document where he was supposed to
write how he pleaded to the charges. Furthermore, he hired a video and
electronics expert to prove that there must have been something wrong
with the police speed camera. Little did he know this was the beginning
of a long and expensive legal battle.
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Over the course of the last three years, in his quest to dispute the 100
pound fine, Keedwell spent “the best part of 30,000 pounds”, including
about 21,000 pounds in barristers’ (lawyers) fees and 7,000 pounds in
court costs, as well as travel expenses. He had expected the case to be
over fairly quick, but soon realized things moved at a much slower pace
than he imagined. For example, it took four trips to Worcester
Magistrates’ Court before his appeal was even heard.
The expert he brought in tried to convince the court that the speed
camera may have been faulty or simply triggered by a car in an adjacent
lane, but the judge would hear none of it. In fact, this court of action
may have contributed significantly to the mounting legal fees, as a
Crown Prosecution Service spokesperson told BBC that “issues raised by
the defense led to the need for additional hearings and for expert
evidence to be obtained”.
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“I regret the amount of money. I very simply wanted justice,” an
exasperated Richard Keedwell said, adding that most of the money his
spent was from the inheritance he planned to leave to his sons. That’s
all gone now, but he’s reportedly still considering whether to continue
his legal action with another appeal at a higher court.
“I’m sick and tired at the whole system which is steamrolling ordinary
people,” Keedwell concluded.
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