TEESSIDE SCAFFOLDER
Well-known member
Thursday 26 July 2012
Hardship court plea
Published on Thursday 26 July 2012 09:50
A MOTORIST has had to plead with a court not to take away his driving licence after he totted up 12 penalty points.
Peter Leslie Butcher, 52, of Priestgate, Nafferton appeared before magistrates in Bridlington last Wednesday to put forward an exceptional hardship argument in a bid to keep his driving licence after a speeding offence committed on November 15 last year took his total number of penalty points to a maximum of 12.
The court heard that Butcher, who admitted committing the offence, was clocked driving a Renault car at 39mph on Kingsgate, in Bridlington, an area that is subject to a 30mph speed limit.
Butcher, who represented himself at the hearing, told the court that 80 to 90% of his job at a Scaffolding firm involved driving to various sites across North and East Yorkshire.
“I have had a word with my employers about what could happen and they said they don’t feel I would be able to do my job if I was disqualified and therefore I would lose my job,” Butcher said.
“I just appeal for your leniency so I can carry on working,” he added.
Presiding magistrate David Sutton said the bench had accepted Butcher’s hardship argument and had decided not to ban him from driving.
Instead they gave him three penalty points, fined him £100 and ordered him to pay court costs of £40 and a victim surcharge of £15.
“When you are working as a professional driver keep your foot off the accelerator because you won’t be able to use that same argument again,” Mr Sutton said.
Hardship court plea
Published on Thursday 26 July 2012 09:50
A MOTORIST has had to plead with a court not to take away his driving licence after he totted up 12 penalty points.
Peter Leslie Butcher, 52, of Priestgate, Nafferton appeared before magistrates in Bridlington last Wednesday to put forward an exceptional hardship argument in a bid to keep his driving licence after a speeding offence committed on November 15 last year took his total number of penalty points to a maximum of 12.
The court heard that Butcher, who admitted committing the offence, was clocked driving a Renault car at 39mph on Kingsgate, in Bridlington, an area that is subject to a 30mph speed limit.
Butcher, who represented himself at the hearing, told the court that 80 to 90% of his job at a Scaffolding firm involved driving to various sites across North and East Yorkshire.
“I have had a word with my employers about what could happen and they said they don’t feel I would be able to do my job if I was disqualified and therefore I would lose my job,” Butcher said.
“I just appeal for your leniency so I can carry on working,” he added.
Presiding magistrate David Sutton said the bench had accepted Butcher’s hardship argument and had decided not to ban him from driving.
Instead they gave him three penalty points, fined him £100 and ordered him to pay court costs of £40 and a victim surcharge of £15.
“When you are working as a professional driver keep your foot off the accelerator because you won’t be able to use that same argument again,” Mr Sutton said.
