OH TO BE A POLICE DRIVER

July 7th 2014

Motorists convicted of Minor road offences are heavily fined and frequently have their licences suspended. We would not like them. to. miss a news-item which appeared in the Leiecster Mercury of August -6th. A 24-year-old police Constable was convicted of driving a van too fast along the Melton Mowbray toad, where warning signs were displayed, so that he failed to negotiate a bend at the bottom of an incline and overturned. He appealed against the verdict of East Norton Court and the conviction was quashed by the Leicestershire Quarter Sessions Appeals Committee. In ordering an absolute discharge on payment of 4S. costs the Chairman, Mr. W. a Keene, said : ” You are only a young man and we don’t think you should have a black mark on your record so early in your police career. We feel you have been sufficiently punished by having.this matter on your mind for such a long time and by the length of these proceedings.”

We are all for leniency towards motorists who suffer a bit of bad luck and it is nice that Mr. Keene is so keen on this. Let us hope he treats civilian drivers as he did this .police driver. Those who are suspended because their L-plates fell off or they skidded on a dangerously .slippery road will, we feel sure, treasure this story of leniency in the Quarter Sessions, Better move to Leicester ? And/or join the Police ?