Stupid Mistake!!

[Fr0dders]

Its not all like that, when i went in for doing 107mph on the m1 it was completely different. police rep explained what it was for etc.. Magistrates asked me for my side of the story. Gave my story, they deliberated. Thanked for me for turning up and for my honesty, asked how i got there, to which i replied train as i knew i wouldn't be driving back, to which the magistrate smiled and commented it was a smart move.

Suspect the court system is possibly quite strained at the minute, hence the disorganisation

 

[stockhausen]

Went to court yesterday for the first time in my life only to experience a very unorganised bunch of people!!
...
Another thing though is that I have just been offered to go for an interview with BT for a Telecoms Engineer Apprenticship but this requires a full driving license, now the interview is on the 25th, should I just attend and explain my situation as best I can knowing it will do me no favours...

I am gutted about the whole thing but you live and learn I suppose,

Thanks, Sam

Tough justice but good on you for your comment about "living and learning". Also sincere respect to you for sharing your experience in a reasonable way despite any embarrassment or sense of injustice you may feel - maybe someone else will learn without having to go through your grief.

Good luck with BT, I hope you get there and do a fantastic job - BT certainly need all the good guys they can get.

Have a great Christmas, a wild New Year and a 2011 that will be just the beginning of a stellar future career

 

[geekyEd]

I hate to say it but if the job requires a licence and you are not going to have one then it doesn't look too good.

Im guessing the interview is on the 25th of Jan not Xmas day, so I would give them a call and explain the situation.

 

[edscdk]

I'd have liked to have seen some discretion from the officers on this thing. Sure the OP was daft to do that, but it's not exactly that bad... it was quiet, next to 0 traffic with a short journey. Sure, I understand, it's illegal, and I'd be cross if I was hit by and uninsured driver - completely understand that... however in this case, a stern word would have worked wonders IMO.

.

my thoughts exactly, a waste of court time, a nice fine and points would ahve made the government a few quid instead of costing thousands...

if they get caught a 2nd time thats when court would be needed and a dam god ass battering...

assuming the story is true its not even like they were pulled over for a good reason.

 

[EddScott]

I'm sure your lesson would have been learned had the police just pulled you over and gave you both a talking to. The whole process is just a huge waste of time and money. Unlucky man.

This. I appreciate the laws or rules were broken but what a huge waste of time. I said just plead guilty by post because there was never any chance of being allowed to say anything.

Court is usually full of "ner do wells" on benefit fraud charges.

 

[[TW]Fox]

Can't agree I'm afraid - besides, no insurance is an absolute offence.

It's not appropriate that there should be any descretion on insurance issues - no insurance, you are nicked. It should be and is as simple as that.

Perhaps the only harsh aspect where you could argue that descretion might have been useful is for the OP, but not for his girlfriend. She was driving a car she wasnt insured to drive. Furthermore she was at much greater risk of an accident given she didnt even have a license.

 

[Joshy]

Can't agree I'm afraid - besides, no insurance is an absolute offence.

It's not appropriate that there should be any descretion on insurance issues - no insurance, you are nicked. It should be and is as simple as that.

Perhaps the only harsh aspect where you could argue that descretion might have been useful is for the OP, but not for his girlfriend. She was driving a car she wasnt insured to drive. Furthermore she was at much greater risk of an accident given she didnt even have a license.

The sticking point for me is that the punishment for "Allowing" the offence to take place is exactly the same for doing the offence. That and they have taken his license away for something that hasn't really got anything to do with his driving whatsoever. To me that is right up there with getting points for arbitrary parking offences.

I also don't like the idea of people becoming mega paranoid when it comes to letting other people bother their cars/take them for a spin around the block. For the most part I've operated a don't ask, don't tell policy when it comes to letting other people drive my cars and in 99% of cases people have returned that sort of mindset. In the vast majority of cases I was able to provide proof that I'm covered, but there is always going to be one situation where you don't have your certificate...

 

[DM]

I suppose you could look at it that had he not let her she wouldnt be doing it.

I still think its a liberty hammering him though.

 

[webmonkeyuk]

Can't agree I'm afraid - besides, no insurance is an absolute offence.

It's not appropriate that there should be any descretion on insurance issues - no insurance, you are nicked. It should be and is as simple as that.

Perhaps the only harsh aspect where you could argue that descretion might have been useful is for the OP, but not for his girlfriend. She was driving a car she wasnt insured to drive. Furthermore she was at much greater risk of an accident given she didnt even have a license.

this. come on he willingly let someone with no licence & insurance drive on a public road and you say the outcome is harsh what did you think would happen if you get pulled over "ok sir if you dont do it again i will just give you a telling off", yeh fair enough it seemed a waste of time going to court and all the paper work involved. but the fact is his girlfriend doesnt have the skill's yet to be on the road without an instructor, you can argue all you want that it was 1 in the morning and there was no one around but how do you know whats on the road.

6 points & £145 fine is getting off lightly if you ask me. OP id put this down to a very harsh life leason and move on.

 

[Burnsy2023]

I also don't like the idea of people becoming mega paranoid when it comes to letting other people bother their cars/take them for a spin around the block. For the most part I've operated a don't ask, don't tell policy when it comes to letting other people drive my cars and in 99% of cases people have returned that sort of mindset. In the vast majority of cases I was able to provide proof that I'm covered, but there is always going to be one situation where you don't have your certificate...

Or you could ask if they have insurance. If they say no, don't let them drive your vehicle, if they say yes then that's enough for you to have a defence against any permitting charge.

 

[Joshy]

but the fact is his girlfriend doesnt have the skill's yet to be on the road without an instructor

This isn't a fact whatsoever!

If the OP had his license for a few more months and was a year older everything would have been fine from the "On the road without an instructor" angle.

Doing the girlfriend - You can argue that it is harsh all day long but I agree she should have been done. As with anything dodgy you take a risk and if it comes back to bite you there isn't much argument.

Doing the OP for letting her do it is a different matter entirely in my book. A word on the side of the road WOULD have sufficed. He is not an uninsured driver, neither is anything wrong with his ability to drive so taking away his Driving license and almost certainly stuffing him for an upcoming job opportunity seems mental.

Then you've got the other point - I don't believe "allowing" someone to commit an offence should receive the same punishment for actually doing it.

 

[ZG002]

6 points & £145 fine is getting off lightly if you ask me. OP id put this down to a very harsh life leason and move on.

Not for the OP it isn't

6 points means licence revoked and stupid insurance quotes.

Giving them both the same sentence just sounds like they couldn't be bothered with it tbh.

For his GF it is getting off lightly, In effect the op has come out of it much worse. Yet he wasn't driving with no insurance, He mealy caved into his gf (As many on here have) The part where the op went wrong was not driving somewhere very quiet first.

 

[geekyEd]

This isn't a fact whatsoever!

If the OP had his license for a few more months and was a year older everything would have been fine from the "On the road without an instructor" angle.

Doing the girlfriend - You can argue that it is harsh all day long but I agree she should have been done. As with anything dodgy you take a risk and if it comes back to bite you there isn't much argument.

Doing the OP for letting her do it is a different matter entirely in my book. A word on the side of the road WOULD have sufficed. He is not an uninsured driver, neither is anything wrong with his ability to drive so taking away his Driving license and almost certainly stuffing him for an upcoming job opportunity seems mental.

Then you've got the other point - I don't believe "allowing" someone to commit an offence should receive the same punishment for actually doing it.

The OP should not have given her permission to drive his car knowing that she was uninsured and didn't have a licence. To me this is as much of an offence as actually driving the car. Without his consent no crime would have been committed, so they are equally in the wrong. I dont see any issue with the penaltys given, more so with the cost of dragging them into court for what was already a done deal and not going to be contested.

 

[Dogbreath]

Can't agree I'm afraid - besides, no insurance is an absolute offence.

I generally have no time for people that drive without insurance, but I think the absolute nature of the offence is what makes it feel a bit harsh in this case.

 

[Lord-Jaffa]

At the end of the day, she was driving with no license and insurance, under normal circumstances I would expect this in todays justice system to carry a jail sentance.

 

[ZG002]

At the end of the day, she was driving with no license and insurance, under normal circumstances I would expect this in todays justice system to carry a jail sentance.

 

[dave_beast]

Your GF

Anything from no fine no points if her family are Masons! to

LC10 Driving w/o licence - IN10 Driving w/o insurance

6-8 points £5000 depending on means

You

Anything from no fine no points if your family are Masons! to

offence codes LC14/LC16 Inciting LC10 - IN16 inciting IN10

6-8 points £5000 depending on means

 

[bledd]

Devastating outcome (for you)

It's strange when you see a case like this compared to the typical things that happen on Police Camera Action.

"oh it's you again, you're drunk, have drugs in your car, no licence, no tax. This is your final warning now mate"

 

[Joshy]

It's strange when you see a case like this compared to the typical things that happen on Police Camera Action.

"oh it's you again, you're drunk, have drugs in your car, no licence, no tax. This is your final warning now mate"

I don't think it is because what happens on a TV show isn't really an accurate portrayal of our justice system .

 

[DM]

Your GF

Anything from no fine no points if her family are Masons! to

LC10 Driving w/o licence - IN10 Driving w/o insurance

6-8 points £5000 depending on means

You

Anything from no fine no points if your family are Masons! to

offence codes LC14/LC16 Inciting LC10 - IN16 inciting IN10

6-8 points £5000 depending on means

I gotta tell you being a mason aint saving you