I received an SJPN in the post with one offence listed on the charge sheet:
“Fail to give information relating to the identification of the driver/rider of a vehicle when required.”
The documents included a copy of what appears to be the original Notice of Intended Prosecution (NIP), dated 23/05/2025, and a reminder dated 07/07/2025.
The alleged offence relates to driving at 62mph in a 50mph zone on 13/05/2025.
Around that time, I was mostly staying with a family member who needed medical assistance, although I was also occasionally at my own address. I genuinely never received any NIP letters.
I’m very concerned about being charged with a criminal offence for something I was never aware of — I’ve never had any criminal record and would have responded immediately had I received the NIP.
All my details — licence, V5C, and other documents — are fully up to date. From what I’ve read, I understand that it’s difficult to prove non-receipt of an NIP, even though I genuinely did not receive one. I also have no points on my licence.
From researching similar cases, I’ve noticed that many people are charged with two offences — one for speeding and another for failure to provide driver’s details — and are advised to plead not guilty to both, stating a willingness to plead guilty to the speeding offence if the other charge is dropped.
However, my SJPN lists only one offence (failure to provide driver’s details). Is there anything I can do to mitigate this situation? I’ve also seen at least one other person mention a similar experience, and I’m wondering why that approach wasn’t applied in cases like ours.
Any guidance or advice would be greatly appreciated, can I contact that them.
