| Sweet Harmany |
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Deputy Labour leader Harriet Harman is facing fresh embarrassment after being caught speeding – for the second time in four years. However, of less concern to me is that she got nicked; what riles is the treatment she’s received. Any other driver is allowed only 28 days to pay a £60 fixed penalty fine, yet Harman was allowed to pay hers more than five months after the offence, to avoid her case being heard in open court. On this occasion, she was issued with a fixed penalty notice after being caught on camera doing 50mph in a temporary 40mph zone through roadworks on the A14 near Ipswich in early April. She “forgot” to pay the fine within the allotted time and was due to have her case heard recently by Ipswich magistrates. However, the CPS withdrew the summons and the court was later told that the matter had been settled. The official policy of the Suffolk Safety Camera Partnership is that the option of paying a fixed penalty is conditional and only open to motorists for 28 days after a notice is issued. If not, the partnership says that a court summons is “automatic”. Despite this, a spokesman is quoted as claiming that “this matter was dealt with by standard procedure. If we can, we will deal with matters by way of a fixed penalty even at the stage after a summons has been sent. It is standard procedure and the same for any member of the public. It is done to save the court time.” Harman could have been fined up to £1,000 and received six points had the case been heard by magistrates. As it was, she got away with three points and the fixed, £60 fine. Bear that in mind if you receive a summons in the near future; a precedent has now been set.
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