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.
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”.
“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.
