Is there anyway to accept the original offence and pay the penalty which I was going to?
The original offence was speeding. What offence(s) have you been charged with?
There is no original penalty. A COFP,
if offered and accepted, is an opportunity to dispose of criminal liability for the offence in return for paying the fixed penalty and having 3 points endorsed on your licence.
There is no requirement for them to offer you a COFP, and strangely enough you cannot force them to re-offer it.
Is there anything I could do to reduce damage?
You can ask the court to sentence you at the fixed penalty level on the basis that you were unable to accept a fixed penalty for reasons unconnected with the offence. This is in their sentencing guidelines.
