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#Post#: 127811--------------------------------------------------
85/90mph in a 50 zone (A1, NW London), inconsistent speed
readings, 3 month gap, disability mitigation
DIR By: Roc98
Date: August 14, 2026, 1:16 pm
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Hi all, first time poster, hoping for some guidance ahead of a
plea deadline.
Background: Charged via Single Justice Procedure for exceeding a
50mph local order limit on the A1 southbound in Barnet, doing
roughly 80mph. Not disputing that I was over the limit, I accept
that. I was stopped at the scene by the officer and cautioned at
the time.
The issue: The officer’s statement records following me for 2
miles, with speeds of 85 constant/85 min/100 max. The charge
sheet’s statement of facts gives 85mph via calibrated
speedometer, but a separate part of the same document gives
“reported speed: 90mph.” Two different figures in the same pack.
Most of that 2-mile stretch was in a 70mph limit, not the 50mph
zone. I’d already slowed to around 80-85mph by the time I
entered the 50mph restricted section. I want to raise this
properly rather than accept the higher figure by default.
Timing: The incident was 1 May, and I only received the Single
Justice Procedure pack in early August, about 3 months later. I
know timing issues sometimes matter for camera-detected
speeding. Since I was stopped and cautioned at the scene rather
than caught by camera, I assume this doesn’t apply here, but
wanted to check if there’s any relevance.
My questions:
1.
to formally dispute the recorded speed within the 50mph zone
specifically, since it affects the sentencing band. Is that
something to flag in the plea form (section 4.2) and request a
hearing for, or is there a better route, e.g. contacting the
prosecutor beforehand?
2.
that significantly affects my mobility. Driving is essential to
my independence. How much weight does this typically carry, and
should I raise it now or only if disqualification becomes a live
issue?
3.
recommend I get free legal advice before submitting my plea, or
is this manageable to handle myself with forum guidance?
Grateful for any steers, first time dealing with anything like
this.
#Post#: 127812--------------------------------------------------
Re: 85/90mph in a 50 zone (A1, NW London), inconsistent speed
readings, 3 month gap, disability mitigation
DIR By: andy_foster
Date: August 14, 2026, 1:24 pm
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To be blunt, if you want us to give meaningful advice based on a
vague description of "the document", you'd be better off going
elsewhere.
#Post#: 127818--------------------------------------------------
Re: 85/90mph in a 50 zone (A1, NW London), inconsistent speed
readings, 3 month gap, disability mitigation
DIR By: NewJudge
Date: August 14, 2026, 3:35 pm
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The top band of seriousness in a 50mph limit covers speeds of
76mph and above. What speed (within the 50mph limit) do you
accept you were doing?
There is no timing issue.
#Post#: 127824--------------------------------------------------
Re: 85/90mph in a 50 zone (A1, NW London), inconsistent speed
readings, 3 month gap, disability mitigation
DIR By: Roc98
Date: August 14, 2026, 5:30 pm
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--- Quote from: andy_foster link ---
>
> To be blunt, if you want us to give meaningful advice based on
a vague description of "the document", you'd be better off going
elsewhere.
>
--- End Quote ---
What info would you like and I'd be happy to detail the doc
#Post#: 127825--------------------------------------------------
Re: 85/90mph in a 50 zone (A1, NW London), inconsistent speed
readings, 3 month gap, disability mitigation
DIR By: Roc98
Date: August 14, 2026, 5:32 pm
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--- Quote from: NewJudge link ---
>
> The top band of seriousness in a 50mph limit covers speeds of
76mph and above. What speed (within the 50mph limit) do you
accept you were doing?
>
> There is no timing issue.
>
--- End Quote ---
I was recorded at 85 in the 50mph.
#Post#: 127837--------------------------------------------------
Re: 85/90mph in a 50 zone (A1, NW London), inconsistent speed
readings, 3 month gap, disability mitigation
DIR By: NewJudge
Date: August 15, 2026, 4:16 am
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And do you accept that you were doing that speed?
If not, what speed do you accept you were doing?
#Post#: 127843--------------------------------------------------
Re: 85/90mph in a 50 zone (A1, NW London), inconsistent speed
readings, 3 month gap, disability mitigation
DIR By: Roc98
Date: August 15, 2026, 5:57 am
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--- Quote from: NewJudge link ---
>
> And do you accept that you were doing that speed?
>
> If not, what speed do you accept you were doing?
>
--- End Quote ---
The police recorded that speed so I accept that but I slowed
down when it went from 70mph to 50mph.
#Post#: 127845--------------------------------------------------
Re: 85/90mph in a 50 zone (A1, NW London), inconsistent speed
readings, 3 month gap, disability mitigation
DIR By: 666
Date: August 15, 2026, 6:46 am
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--- Quote from: Roc98 link ---
>
> [quote author=NewJudge link=topic=11732.msg127837#msg127837
date=1786785372]
> And do you accept that you were doing that speed?
>
> If not, what speed do you accept you were doing?
>
--- End Quote ---
The police recorded that speed so I accept that but I slowed
down when it went from 70mph to 50mph.
[/quote]
So, to be clear, what speed do you believe you were doing in the
50 mph limit?
And what evidence could you provide to support that, apart from
your assertion that "I slowed down"?
#Post#: 127848--------------------------------------------------
Re: 85/90mph in a 50 zone (A1, NW London), inconsistent speed
readings, 3 month gap, disability mitigation
DIR By: NewJudge
Date: August 15, 2026, 7:26 am
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The long and the short of it is this:
If you enter a guilty plea, but disagree with the facts of the
allegation, you can enter your plea “on a basis”. In your case
this would be “I was not doing (for example) 85mph but 75mph”.
The court must decide whether there would be a material
difference in their sentence if they accept your version rather
than the version put forward by the police.
If they believe it will not, they must proceed to sentence you
based on your version.
If they believe it will, they must either accept your version or
order a hearing (known as a “Newton Hearing”) to establish which
version they will use for sentencing. The hearing is rather like
a trial, but instead of it determining your guilt or innocence,
it determines the facts.
You have not made it very clear what the speed within the 50mph
limit you say you were doing. You said “roughly 80mph”. But it
seems you do not dispute doing 80-85mph when you entered the
50mph stretch.
So I don’t really know what you are arguing about as far as the
speed goes. The charge sheet says 85mph and you accept it was
80-85mph. I would suggest that whether the court accepts 85mph
as alleged or your lower estimate of 80mph, it will make no
material difference to sentencing.
So to answer your questions:
1.It may be worth contacting the police prosecutor to ensure
that their statement alleging 85 mph is what will be used in
court.
2.The guidelines for 85 in a 50 limit suggest either a ban of up
to 56 days or six points. Strictly speaking you have no right to
argue that a ban will cause you “exceptional hardship” (that is
only available for “totting up” bans). But the court will
consider your circumstances when making their decision.
3.If you are confident enough to speak in court, you should be
able to handle this yourself. I don’t believe the speed
discrepancy will be an issue. However, 85 in a 50 limit is in
the range where the court will consider a ban appropriate, so
you should be prepared for that.
Unless you ask for a court appearance, your case will initially
be heard by a “Single Justice” (SJ) at a hearing which you
cannot attend. However, if the SJ believes a ban should be
considered, your case will be adjourned to a hearing which you
can attend.
In view of your concerns over both the speed and the possible
disqualification I would suggest you ask for a personal hearing
anyway. You can then be sure that all the points about which you
are concerned are considered. If a Newton Hearing is ordered, it
will not take place on eh same day as your first hearing, but at
a later date.
#Post#: 127852--------------------------------------------------
Re: 85/90mph in a 50 zone (A1, NW London), inconsistent speed
readings, 3 month gap, disability mitigation
DIR By: andy_foster
Date: August 15, 2026, 8:11 am
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--- Quote from: NewJudge link ---
>
> 2.The guidelines for 85 in a 50 limit suggest either a ban of
up to 56 days or six points. Strictly speaking you have no right
to argue that a ban will cause you “exceptional hardship” (that
is only available for “totting up” bans). But the court will
consider your circumstances when making their decision.
>
--- End Quote ---
The distinction is that when a driver tots up to 12 points,as a
matter of law, the court has no discretion not to disqualify him
for at least 6 months unless they find that such a ban would
cause excessive hardship. For all other cases that involve
obligatory endorsement, the court can use their usual discretion
to determine whether or not it would be appropriate to
disqualify the driver.
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