Free Traffic Legal Advice
Live cases legal advice => Speeding and other criminal offences => Topic started by: estevenin on February 26, 2026, 12:39:40 am
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Hi all,
Got some questions regarding a live speeding fine I'm dealing with. First, the timeline :
07/09/2025, the camera flashes my car at 35MPH instead of 30MPH, thinking Bath road was at 40MPH
11/09/2025, they send the NIP
10/10/2025, I'v been trying to respond to the NIP online, but their website kept on returning an error for days "Please accept our apologies that the Portal is not currently available, work is ongoing to restore this at the earliest opportunity"
11/10/2025, I then respond by post and are forced to pay for a stamp (bouh), and explain also why I'm 1 day late to send the NIP's response
14/01/2026, After not hearing anything for months, I receive an email from the MET Police :
Dear Driver / Rider
We are in receipt of your admission and you have provided us with your email address.
The MET is implementing a new business process where communications and documentation are sent digitally rather than via Royal Mail.
If you wish to opt out of digital service please respond to this email within 48 hours.
If no response is received further communications and documentation may be sent to you digitally via this email address you previously supplied.
Please therefore ensure that you regularly check your spam folder for any communications from us.
Thank you
15/01/2026, I respond that I wish to continue by post, hoping that'll make me win some time
16/01/2026, they confirm that my choice has been recorded
26/02/2026 (today), I receive the Single Justice Procedure Notice (8 days short from the 6 months period!). However the notice seems to be dated from 11/02/2026, so it has been recorded within 5 months and a week. Based on that, they are then on time. not sure why I received it so late… But that means I only have a few days left to respond.
Here's the SJPN just for the record : https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/cwvo1viqjksfewi5khxxn/SJP-blank-printed.pdf?rlkey=p89kzrzqgtanfyzejvf9knd7l&dl=0
Here's the image evidence : https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/pk840exy81289fmhxh1o7/Capture-d-cran-2026-02-25-235829.png?rlkey=jxc6eae5a6x7vtbvaa364s4gi&dl=0
(https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/pk840exy81289fmhxh1o7/Capture-d-cran-2026-02-25-235829.png?rlkey=jxc6eae5a6x7vtbvaa364s4gi&dl=0)
Everything seems to be correct in the SJPN, except for a small twist, so here are my questions :
1. In the witness statement, one particular paragraph caught my attention :
A Conditional offer of Fixed Penalty was sent to *** on 23/10/2025.
The driver/ rider failed to satisfy the requirements of the Fixed Penalty, by not paying the Fixed Penalty and failing to provide their licence details for electronic endorsement.
The driver/ rider did not satisfy the requirements of the Fixed Penalty offer within the specified timeframe. As a result, the offer of a Fixed Penalty has been withdrawn.
The matter was therefore referred to the Prosecution Team for a Single Justice Notice to be issued ..
No, a Conditional offer or Fixed Penalty was not sent. In fact, the (accidental I suppose) acknowledgement of receipt from the met police of my NIP response by mail on the 14/01/2026, means that they just started looking up at my case, back in January. I reckon they were doing some tweakings in their system, looking to digitalize it, and they got caught in some kind of backlog or something.
Is that a ground for (a successful) appeal ? My current research shows that I could only plead guilty and ask for the Conditional Offer to be applied, following a failure of the administration to send it.
2. I was traveling near that bus. We are nearly at the same level, but I'm still a bit behind. I assume that would not be a successful reason for appeal (that the camera could have caught the bus given how close we were) ?
3. I looked up the signs on the road, unfortunately for me, there are 2 signs on the left hand sign, which I would have missed traveling near that bus, however there is another one on the right hand sign, about 30 seconds before, very small and unlit, but nevertheless, it's there. Besides, a road without any specified speed limit and with lamp posts, is meant to be 30MPH by default. So I'm assuming a judge would not take that, but I still ask... would the lack of good visible sign and considering the bus on the left blocking the view, be a good ground for appeal or is that a blunder ?
4. I am a private hire driver. This will bring me up to 9 points. I should not loose my PHV licence (I might, but I think they are more relaxed now with all those 20MPH roads nowadays. Fingers crossed), however if it does (or even if it doesn't, one more strike and I'm out) this will put me in a very tough spot, with a risk of loosing my work.
Could I claim for the points not to be applied ? Or would that only be in case of a 4th and final fine ?
Thank you all for taking the time of looking up at my case.