The issue here is we do not know why you have been asked to attend court.
It could be for sentencing as they may be considering disqualification (the court will no disqualify you in your absence without first giving you an opportunity to attend). It could be because your guilty plea was not accepted because your mitigation indicated you were advancing a possible defence to the charge. It could be for something else. The reason you have been asked to court is important. We don't know what it is.
This is of concern:
In the SJp I pleaded that they be lenient with me and explained the driving conditions
I pleaded guilty to the SJP, precisely to avoid wasting time.
You should not plead guilty for the sake of expediency. If you believe you are not guilty (and you've given an indication within this thread that you believe you are) you should plead not guilty. So, one last time then I'm out: forget the rapists and murderers; what did you say (exactly, word for word) in your mitigation and how did the court respond (exactly, preferably post up their letter)?
If you consult a solicitor they will want to know these things so if you want advice on here the same applies.
Hi NJ
Thanks for the response, the mitigation letter was a long while ago. From memory it wasn't much, very polite pleaded with humility and gave the incident details and time line
Something like after driving for 12 years without any incidents was stopped on the motorway. Explained circumstances, was raining heavily, dark and midnight . I apologised and was given a fixed penalty notice.
Then gave the sequence of events, leading to it being referred to the SJP ( missed post and failed to include driving license details, despite paying the fine)
Explained my work as a agency temp and the only earning member of the family. Plus the job I do
Last para was that I plead guilty and and am willing to accept whatever punishment. Given that the fixed term penalty was missed because of unfortunate events, I would be grateful if the same conditions and fines were maintained. I shall leave that to your discretion and hope for the best.
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Don't know if this is relevant but around the same time, in a separate letter I wrote to the Police, asking for details of the case under the subject access route. Also compared this stop and eagerness, to my car being vandalised/broken on two occasions, where the police gave me a reference number and closed the case. So asked him if traffic offences are the Police ATM or cash cow.
Don't know if these guys had a 'little chat' and decided to teach me a lesson. They should know each other, meet at golf courses or pubs or in the courts, don't they??
As all the Solicitors who I have sought the 'initial free advise' are amazed, that this ended up in court, despite a guilty plea
Ps
Groan , does careless driving conviction actually show up on an enhanced DBS check . There goes my weekend
