Advice on a Speeding Ticket for a place and location I was not at

paddyjoesoap

Hi there,

I am hoping there might be some experts in this field.

I got a speeding ticket (Camera Van I suspect) for Tuesday the 22 Feb at 05:42 in the morning for Spital Land on the N24 Limerick. First of all, does anyone actually know where Spittal Land is in Limerick?

I was however in Limerick (Cresent Shopping Center) shopping on Sunday the 20th. I was sure I was within the speed limits. There was a bad car accident that day and traffic was diverted in and out of Limerick from the Tipperary side. So, I had all that in mind and was convinced I never broke the speed limit.

So my question is, is it possible for them to have the dates wrong and it was meant to be the 20th instead of the 22nd? Plus the time also is wrong. If this is the case, would this be struck out of court?

What if, it was really me they caught on the Sunday (that is, the photo shows me in the car) but the system shows it as a Tuesday. Given the time of day, I have no witnesses to say I was not there on the alleged Tuesday morning. If it had been during work hours, I would have the work cameras to prove I was at work.

The license plate in the speeding ticket is my license plate number! I wonder could it be a car with a fake plate? Its highly unlikely, and perhaps it was there system that is incorrect. The speed I was supposed to be doing was 63KM in a 50KM zone!

Any comments welcome. If there are any solicitors on the forum that would like to hint at what I might do, please do.

Zubeneschamali

Write in and explain that you weren't there on the date in question, and ask for a copy of the photo of you driving the car.

It could be be another car with your plate number, either in error or on purpose.

Anan1

Give them a call and they'll post you a copy of the pic.

paddyjoesoap

Thanks guy's.

I hope that the fact I ask for the picture does not mean I am automatically asking for a court case and thus get 4 points!

Never the less, I was not there at that time or date.

antodeco

OP, where were you on the 22nd at 5am? Do you have proof to say you were there at that time?

paddyjoesoap

Hi,

I was in bed! No proof of that, apart from my girlfriend. Sure that doesn't count, sure someone could say she is lying anyhow. It wouldn't in my opinion be a strong case.

Thats whats bothering me, given the time of the offense, it's possible for me to drive to limerick (for whatever reason I have no idea!) from clonmel/cahir area and still make it in on time for work in Cork.

If it had been at a later time, I might have a ATM receipt or ask the security guards at work for video footage that would prove I do not have the ability to be bi-locational!

I better seek legal advice before calling them.

antodeco

Get the photo from them first. This will show you the car and the driver. It is probably something simple like a system mistake or it just read the plate wrong. Failing that, its a cloned numberplate.

Zubeneschamali

paddyjoesoap wrote: »

I better seek legal advice before calling them.

Jeez, legal advice will cost more than the fine!

Just ring them up and ask for the photo.

Wolverine_1999

Call them and tell the type of car you have and colour.. they should be able to figure it out pretty quick.

NYC1

I also recieved a speeding fine today for the same location "spital land, Limerick" for the same date 22/02/11 @ 08:45 hrs. I was doing 61km in a 50km zone.

I have never heard of this area of Limerick either, from what I could find on the net, this is an old townsland name for around the Garryowen/Greenhills Road, St Lawerences Park area. I have mailed npo@garda.ie to find out the exact location.

JackieRyan

Spittal land in llimerick is up Mulgrave st near the graveyard, where the camera van is always parked

paddyjoesoap

JackieRyan wrote: »

Spittal land in llimerick is up Mulgrave st near the graveyard, where the camera van is always parked

Hi Jackie.

I looked at google maps for "Mulgrave Street, Limerick, Ireland" and see that its close the the city centre.

I would not have been there on Sunday never-mind Tuesday as they claim.

I have emailed the garda npo today and will follow up with a physical letter also.

I'll keep you all posted.

limklad

antodeco wrote: »

OP, where were you on the 22nd at 5am? Do you have proof to say you were there at that time?

They do not have proof either as it is a pic of the Licence plate. There been increasing reports of other scumbags fraudulent use of licence plates been used as their car match the colour and vehicle make.

I have a major problem with the Photo's they send out. It is only licence plate only and that was confirm by my work colleague. he receive one in the post. The Whole vehicle + Driver pic should be taken for evidence, not just the licence plate. I am surprise that this law was not thrown out of court as fraudulent Plates could be used and the Law do not allow for it.

The Law state that the owner get the fine+penalty points unless s/he give the name and address of the actual driver. It is a major problem with business as the owner name is on the vehicles that used by employees, especially when their is multiples drivers and only licence plate for evidence. Keeping track on which employees is using the vehicles is difficult enough when they are busy and trying to meet customer deliveries.

If you drove a Audi A4 black car. Some scumbag had a similar model and colour to be used in crime and copies you plates and put it on his vehicle, break various rules of the road and you are in home in bed alone with no witness to verify that fact and in the meantime these speed cameras etc record every speed offences of that other vehicle is then attach to your car reg. and then the fine is issued to you and penalty points is put on your driving licence. What do you do? You will have to accept the penalty points and accept the fine unless the gardai catch the car in question.

Wolverine_1999

No surprise then that this is happening in Limerick.. seeing the city is full of scum. Obviously the other city's scum isn't as smart yet

Will be interesting to hear the outcome of this though.

kippy

limklad wrote: »

They do not have proof either as it is a pic of the Licence plate. There been increasing reports of other scumbags fraudulent use of licence plates been used as their car match the colour and vehicle make.

I have a major problem with the Photo's they send out. It is only licence plate only and that was confirm by my work colleague. he receive one in the post. The Whole vehicle + Driver pic should be taken for evidence, not just the licence plate. I am surprise that this law was not thrown out of court as fraudulent Plates could be used and the Law do not allow for it.

The Law state that the owner get the fine+penalty points unless s/he give the name and address of the actual driver. It is a major problem with business as the owner name is on the vehicles that used by employees, especially when their is multiples drivers and only licence plate for evidence. Keeping track on which employees is using the vehicles is difficult enough when they are busy and trying to meet customer deliveries.

If you drove a Audi A4 black car. Some scumbag had a similar model and colour to be used in crime and copies you plates and put it on his vehicle, break various rules of the road and you are in home in bed alone with no witness to verify that fact and in the meantime these speed cameras etc record every speed offences of that other vehicle is then attach to your car reg. and then the fine is issued to you and penalty points is put on your driving licence. What do you do? You will have to accept the penalty points and accept the fine unless the gardai catch the car in question.

I was under the impression that they do have a larger picture (car and sometimes driver as well as plate) on file but only send you the plate detail in the first instance. I believe if you request a full picture you will get it.
I could be incorrect in this belief.

There are other ways of casting doubt on the validity of the fine (ie, certain evidence to at least through doubt on the fact that you were at the scene of the "crime") however the cost of proving this goes well beyond the cost of the fine sadly and indeed you are right.
What is the statutory sentence for someone driving around with a false plate I wonder? Probably not enough to put them off doing it.

faw1tytowers

any chance the actual fine is a fake?

paddyjoesoap

Well lads and girls.

I got confirmation back from the cops that the car and plates didn't match my car model nor plates.

I have requested formal written notification of that effect in conjunction with my email response received.

Crisis diverted!

However, it does pull into question the software used to read plates!
Food for thought!

kippy

paddyjoesoap wrote: »

Well lads and girls.

I got confirmation back from the cops that the car and plates didn't match my car model nor plates.

I have requested formal written notification of that effect in conjunction with my email response received.

Crisis diverted!

However, it does pull into question the software used to read plates!
Food for thought!

Thats why they take a full picture and give you the option to double check the details of the recording.


In all fairness its not the software I would blame for a situation such as this, it is the intentional or unintentional "blurring" or obscuring plates which I think some people do and even at that I would think the level of accuracy of this system is fairly high.

yummymummy2504

I recieved 2 fines for that area on the same day an hour apart.
I emailed npo@garda.ie to specify where Spital Land is and request a full picture of both ''offences'' to be posted out to me. (I was actually in Galway on that day) I recieved a reply from them within the hour stating there was a ''System Error'' and i was to ignore the fines!!

Email them and check it out . . . . .