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Hello to all
I was photographed for doing 70mph on a motorway a few months ago. It appears that I’ve sailed through a temp speed restriction of 60mph whilst on cruise control. I received the NIP and was offered the motorway awareness course. Accepted it, and was booked on. However, on the morning of the course itself, I had a temporary internet outage that stopped me from logging on at or before the start time of the three hour course, so I got onto it late when the broadband was restored a short while later – it was recorded as a non-attendance as a result, fee lost, and referred back to the Police for prosecution. I now have a Magistrate’s Summons.
I received an email from KCC (the local authority running the course) that same morning (as the course) requiring me to make contact with them within 24 hours to rebook it. They got one phone call (five attempts to speak to a human, from both myself *and* their colleagues), and two emails from me (one before the phone calls, and one after confirming the phone calls to be belt and braces), as no-one in their Dept actually answers the phone within their restricted opening hours, not even to their internal colleagues. They even acknowledge that it’s pretty likely that they won’t answer their phones in their own outbound email! They never responded to my emails either until a week later, and well after they've returned my file back to the Police, ensuring that I was completely stuffed in respect of my ability to complete a course.
Therefore, I appear to be completely stuffed and now bound to receive an endorsement and fine. I am still thinking about how to approach the Magistrate’s, which is the reason for the post here. I have no choice but to plead guilty, but in my opinion, the fair result in such circumstances seems to be for the case to be adjourned, whilst it is re-referred back to the Police/KCC, for me to complete an online course, particularly in these pandemic times and these particular circumstances where it's online courses only for everyone due to social distancing etc. That’s probably the way I’ll go, but thought it would be very useful to have some extra brains on the case to check my approach and thought processes!
Many thanks in advance for any responses.
I was photographed for doing 70mph on a motorway a few months ago. It appears that I’ve sailed through a temp speed restriction of 60mph whilst on cruise control. I received the NIP and was offered the motorway awareness course. Accepted it, and was booked on. However, on the morning of the course itself, I had a temporary internet outage that stopped me from logging on at or before the start time of the three hour course, so I got onto it late when the broadband was restored a short while later – it was recorded as a non-attendance as a result, fee lost, and referred back to the Police for prosecution. I now have a Magistrate’s Summons.
I received an email from KCC (the local authority running the course) that same morning (as the course) requiring me to make contact with them within 24 hours to rebook it. They got one phone call (five attempts to speak to a human, from both myself *and* their colleagues), and two emails from me (one before the phone calls, and one after confirming the phone calls to be belt and braces), as no-one in their Dept actually answers the phone within their restricted opening hours, not even to their internal colleagues. They even acknowledge that it’s pretty likely that they won’t answer their phones in their own outbound email! They never responded to my emails either until a week later, and well after they've returned my file back to the Police, ensuring that I was completely stuffed in respect of my ability to complete a course.
Therefore, I appear to be completely stuffed and now bound to receive an endorsement and fine. I am still thinking about how to approach the Magistrate’s, which is the reason for the post here. I have no choice but to plead guilty, but in my opinion, the fair result in such circumstances seems to be for the case to be adjourned, whilst it is re-referred back to the Police/KCC, for me to complete an online course, particularly in these pandemic times and these particular circumstances where it's online courses only for everyone due to social distancing etc. That’s probably the way I’ll go, but thought it would be very useful to have some extra brains on the case to check my approach and thought processes!
Many thanks in advance for any responses.
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