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Wow, I feel for you man. That's crazy. You should do a write up on the process. Maybe submit it to a paper, local or otherwise?

by tudelo 8y ago

DoubleGlazing 8y ago
I have tried, but the opinion of everyone I speak to locally about the affair is "what did you expect?" The process for speeding fines is pretty much a production line in the states favour. The law was changed a few years back so that the speed camera data is not the primary evidence in a speeding case, now the Garda swears that he/she believes a driver was speeding using the speed camera data only as advice. This was to stop people demanding the source code for the equipment. A bad law that favours the state IMO since you can cast legitimate doubt on the accuracy of the equipment, but if the Garda insists you were speeding then its up to the judge and whatever mood they are in to decide who wins. When my wife stated her defence the prosecuting Garda sergeant said, under oath, "We don't use that American GPS we have our own GPS!". My wife though she had him at that point, but the judge believed the Garda. I have kept all the documentation in case we can do something about it in the future, but that's unlikely. What is really grating is that the lady before my wife admitted to doing 120kph in an 80kph zone, the judge dismissed the case because of her "honesty and frankness". Currently An Garda Siochana (Irish police) is undergoing huge turmoil and a number of public inquiries due to corruption and bad management. When the police are found to have faked 1 million breath tests in order to hit targets our little issue becomes very low hanging fruit.
- kqr 8y ago
  I am so terribly sorry for you. I have been through a few similar processes myself (although none as severe as yours, by the sounds of it) and it absolutely breaks you. Thank you for writing about it. Even if it does not do much, a sense of commonality is sometimes all the little man needs.

Wow, I feel for you man. That's crazy. You should do a write up on the process. Maybe submit it to a paper, local or otherwise?

by tudelo 8y ago

Wow, I feel for you man. That's crazy. You should do a write up on the process. Maybe submit it to a paper, local or otherwise?

DoubleGlazing 8y ago

I have tried, but the opinion of everyone I speak to locally about the affair is "what did you expect?" The process for speeding fines is pretty much a production line in the states favour. The law was changed a few years back so that the speed camera data is not the primary evidence in a speeding case, now the Garda swears that he/she believes a driver was speeding using the speed camera data only as advice. This was to stop people demanding the source code for the equipment. A bad law that favours the state IMO since you can cast legitimate doubt on the accuracy of the equipment, but if the Garda insists you were speeding then its up to the judge and whatever mood they are in to decide who wins. When my wife stated her defence the prosecuting Garda sergeant said, under oath, "We don't use that American GPS we have our own GPS!". My wife though she had him at that point, but the judge believed the Garda. I have kept all the documentation in case we can do something about it in the future, but that's unlikely. What is really grating is that the lady before my wife admitted to doing 120kph in an 80kph zone, the judge dismissed the case because of her "honesty and frankness". Currently An Garda Siochana (Irish police) is undergoing huge turmoil and a number of public inquiries due to corruption and bad management. When the police are found to have faked 1 million breath tests in order to hit targets our little issue becomes very low hanging fruit.

kqr 8y ago
I am so terribly sorry for you. I have been through a few similar processes myself (although none as severe as yours, by the sounds of it) and it absolutely breaks you. Thank you for writing about it. Even if it does not do much, a sense of commonality is sometimes all the little man needs.