Free Traffic Legal Advice

- Do I return the NIP with my details?

Yes, you must. If you do not you will commit a separate offence which carries six points.

Is that an admission of guilt?

No.

- If so, what happens afterwards if I want to dispute the image's clarity?

You will need o decline (or ignore) any out-of-court offers the police may make (you will probably be offered a course for that speed). You will then be prosecuted in court where you will have to plead Not Guilty.

- Can I ask for unretouched/non-enhanced images which show the VRM in legible form?

You can ask for anything you like (noting that such a request does not stop the clock on the 28 days you have to respond to the request for driver's details). But you are unlikely to get anything more than you already have.

I don't quite see where you are coming from here. The police obviously have correctly identified your vehicle because you seem to accept that it was yours and that you were at the location at the time.

So what will your defence be to the speeding charge if you are prosecuted?

Where I'm coming from is that the camera photos do not show the VRM, nor indeed any characters at all. In my view, the evidence has been tampered with.

My initial thought was that yes, the VRM in the NIP is indeed of my vehicle but how that has been arrived at from what are clearly illegible photos is very much open to question. Surely the police need to provide irrefutable, unadulterated proof and an "enhanced" image is not that.

The police have no obligation to provide any evidence at all at this stage. They must have a legible image in order to have tracked you down, and that will undoubtedly be produced in evidence should you opt to go to court.

Where I'm coming from is that the camera photos do not show the VRM, nor indeed any characters at all. In my view, the evidence has been tampered with.

As above, what you have is not necessarily the evidence they will intend to rely on to convict you.

They have no obligation to send you anything at this stage, other than the NIP and the request for driver's details. So imagine that's all you had. When you respond to that request you will have two choices. You will have to say that either:

1. You were the driver of that vehicle at that time and place or
2. You cannot identify the driver.

If you opt for (1) you may find it a little difficult to persuade the court that you cannot be guilty because the police cannot show it was your vehicle. Apart from anything else, they will have a statement from you confirming you were driving your vehicle at the time and place specified. 

If you opt for  (2) you will be prosecuted for failing to provide the driver's details (FtP) and the speeding matter becomes irrelevant. Defending the FtP charge may be a bit tricky because it was your car and you were driving it at the time and place mentioned. Of course you could ignore the request entirely then the result will be the same.

The police have clearly identified your vehicle correctly. They haven't simply picked your name out of a hat. You need to accept that and move on.