Safe Speed Forums

[url=http://icbirmingham.icnetwork.co.uk/0100news/0100localnews/tm_objectid=16215706&method=full&siteid=50002&headline=speeding-pc-case-appeal--name_page.html]Speeding Pc case appeal Oct 6 2005
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An appeal against a decision to clear a police officer clocked doing speeds of up to 159mph has been lodged by the Crown Prosecution Service.

Pc Mark Milton, from Telford, Shropshire, was acquitted of speeding and dangerous driving by a district judge at Ludlow Magistrates' Court earlier this year.

The 38-year-old, recorded exceeding the speed limit on the M54 by the patrol car's video camera, denied the charges. Mr Milton, trained in advanced driving, said he had been "familiarising himself" with the new vehicle in the early hours of December 5, 2003, when the footage was captured. The case is expected to be heard by three High Court judges sitting at the Divisional Court of the Royal Courts of Justice in London by the end of the year.

A CPS spokesman said: "Our contention is the District Judge was wrong in law and we have asked him to state a case for consideration by the High Court so they can decide whether he was right.


"The High Court will consider his interpretation of dangerousness for the purposes of dangerous driving and the issue of whether what the police officer was doing could be considered as police purpose."


The spokesman said officers were not required to obey speed limits while carrying out "police purpose", but the CPS would be challenging the suggestion this was what he was doing.


District Judge Bruce Morgan expressed concern at West Mercia Constabulary's "total lack of policy" on when and where police drivers should practise driving fast.

...dangerousness...

Oh how I ache for the day Brunstrom is done for speeding in his Merc - although if - as he says - he drives it like a hearse, we'll have to wait until after the funeral.

Brian

Interesting - the high court verdict will set a precedent. If that precedent is that 159mph is not in itself dangerous, that has implications for all drivers. Surely, if he isn't convicted in the high court, it will never again be possible to convict someone of dangerous driving based solely on their speed.

And if he is found guilty, it will force all police forces to severely restrict high-speed pursuit operations.

what sort of a word is that FFS?

its a word thats in the dictionary..

Noun: dangerousness deynjurusnus

1. The quality of not being safe

Derived forms: dangerousnesses

Type of: characteristic

Antonym: safeness

quite legitimate use for the word. . . maybe you should read the dictionary a bit more often

However, I would say there is time and place for testing a car - and hopefully the court will arrive at the correct decision - which wil not undermine our training or activities in the course of normal duties and pursuits.

Using the courts to make a ruling in this case can only have a bad outcome as far as I can see.

Shouldn't that be set by internal police guidelines and perhaps disciplinary measures.

Using the courts to make a ruling in this case can only have a bad outcome as far as I can see.

We are not immune from prosecution if we break laws tha knows!

Of course - his daughter was copped twice well above the speed limit as a probationer. But "civilian reporters took the photos and were not trained"