David Beckham Speeding Case Dropped

[Turvey]

https://www-mirror-co-uk.cdn.ampproject.org/v/s/www.mirror.co.uk/3am/celebrity-news/david-beckham-speeding-trial-thrown-13317883.amp?amp_js_v=a2&amp_gsa=1#amp_tf=From %1%24s&ampshare=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.mirror.co.uk%2F3am%2Fcelebrity-news%2Fdavid-beckham-speeding-trial-thrown-13317883

 

Initially I thought, what a smug git, but then I wondered "What would I do if I could afford it?" Would I try and get off on a technicality? To be honest, probably. 

 

So, truthfully, what would you do IF you could afford it? 

[Luke4efc]

I'd say it's like defending Private Parking Tickets but the claimant isn't a ***** and can actually put up a good fight.

Many PPC's are sent out late but many don't know or won't defend it.

I would certainly do everything I could to wiggle out of it after doing a lot of research.

[Stoney871]

https://www-mirror-co-uk.cdn.ampproject.org/v/s/www.mirror.co.uk/3am/celebrity-news/david-beckham-speeding-trial-thrown-13317883.amp?amp_js_v=a2&amp_gsa=1#amp_tf=From %1%24s&ampshare=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.mirror.co.uk%2F3am%2Fcelebrity-news%2Fdavid-beckham-speeding-trial-thrown-13317883
 
Initially I thought, what a smug git, but then I wondered "What would I do if I could afford it?" Would I try and get off on a technicality? To be honest, probably. 
 
So, truthfully, what would you do IF you could afford it? 

[emoji2959][emoji2959][emoji2959][emoji2959][emoji2959]

Sent from my SM-G965F (S9+)

[Freddy42]

He was able to prove, without the help of his fancy lawyer, that the letter arrived late despite the fact that it was posted in plenty of time.  Doubt they'd take my word that a letter arrived late.

[zain611]

Didn't know that a notice letter coming just a day late can be seen as defective. I'm surprised also that he loaned a Bentley not buy it outright. Thought he was loaded. 

[Jonro2009]

He should be fined for the offence at the very least. What does this say to people, if you have a legal team at your disposal you can find a technicality and get off with things. I understand that there is a 14day period to serve the notice but a crime has still been committed, he’s admitted that. Makes a mockery of the whole thing, he is allegedly a role model. 

[zain611]

37 minutes ago, Jonro2009 said:

He should be fined for the offence at the very least. What does this say to people, if you have a legal team at your disposal you can find a technicality and get off with things. I understand that there is a 14day period to serve the notice but a crime has still been committed, he’s admitted that. Makes a mockery of the whole thing, he is allegedly a role model. 

That's something I forgot about. Why close the case by arguing towards the delivery of the notice? He drove 19mph over the speed limit and a speed camera caught him but somehow he's saved because royal mail weren't able to sent a notice letter to him 14 days before the deadline. Are people looking at his speeding or the mail service for sending his notice papers 😂. 

Makes me wonder how you can appeal a speeding ticket also. 

[TomsFocus]

15 hours ago, Turvey said:

So, truthfully, what would you do IF you could afford it? 

100% yes I would...tbh I'd still try and argue it without the money.   The law is full of loopholes and technicalities.  It's no different to taping over rust holes to pass an MOT.  

Driving fast doesn't mean driving dangerously, if he'd caused an accident due to excessive speed and a lack of control/attention that would've been different...but as it's just a speeding ticket from a camera I don't see any moral issues there personally, I'm sure opinions will vary lol.

[Eric Bloodaxe]

Mr Beckham was very lucky that the NIP was delivered to a third party who was able to prove it was received late. Most of us would have been unable to prove this, unless it was posted so late that the postmark alone would settle the issue. I was puzzled that he seems to have admitted the offence, when all he needed to do was prove the NIP was received outside the statutory period.

Last year I received an NIP within 5 days of the alleged offence (first one in almost 50 years😥), and attended a speed awareness course within a few weeks, so the relevant Constabulary were (unfortunately for me!!) very efficient. In the Beckham case they do seem to have been a bit tardy in sending it out, given the state of the post these days.

[Turvey]

22 hours ago, Stoney871 said:

Sent from my SM-G965F (S9+)
 

I can't see what you've put there! Can't even see it on the computer 😟

Can someone take a screenshot? 😎

[Jonro2009]

I can’t see it either @Turvey ☹️

Doesnt the article say that it was sent several days before the deadline? Even 2nd class it should have got there on time?? I wonder how much Mr Beckham spends with them on loan vehicles and ‘other admin fees’ 😉

there is one thing that really does confuse me, perhaps @Stoney871 can enlighten me. If Beckham has said that he does not contest that he was speeding why has he not been charged regardless? Why does the 14 day period even exist?

[Eric Bloodaxe]

From what I remember, the principle is that the Notice of Intended Prosecution must be served within such time that the alleged offender can reasonably remember the circumstances and thus prepare their defence. For speeding and some other offences the rule is that it must be served within 14 days of the alleged offence, I seem to remember a time when the police would sometimes physically deliver these into a person's hand but obviously with speeding prosecutions alone running at around 1.4 million per annum that is not practical nowadays so they have to rely on the post.

The normal principle in contract law, with which I have a bit more experience, is that a notice is deemed to have been adequately served it it was posted so as to arrive within what could be reasonably be expected to be the normal course of post. 

If Mr Beckham had not been able to produce the 3rd party evidence of the late arrival of the NIP, I would expect that the judge in his case would also have relied on this interpretation and not ruled that the case be dropped.

The moral seems to be, if you want to speed, do it in a borrowed car and hope the post is a bit slow!