Monty91
04-11-2014, 09:28 AM
Your worships, I would first like to express to the court my regret and also to apologise for the fact that my actions have brought us here. I regret that it has taken up the court’s time and I also regret the anxiety it has caused my partner, for whom this could not have come at a worse time, as our first child is due to be born in 10 days and we are also in the process of buying our first family home.
This regret is deepened by the circumstances that led to me committing this offence. As I have stated to the court already, I did not receive the original speeding ticket or the request to identify the speeding driver as I did not update my V5C when I changed address. (I have documentation with me that proves I was not living at the address the correspondence was sent to at the time it was sent, which I am happy to share with you). Whilst I fully acknowledge my responsibility for this error, I would also like to explain to the court how it came to happen.
Prior to moving flat in March 2012, I diligently made a list of all of the companies and organisations I needed to contact to inform them of my impending change of address. This included the DVLA. Being the first car I had ever owned, I made a mental note to check with the DVLA what was required to update my records. During this conversation, I was told that I needed to update my driving licence, which I did, but no mention was made about my V5C. I hope the court would accept that I had no obvious reason to question this and so it was in good faith that I believed I had made all reasonable efforts to maintain my records correctly.
Last month, when I eventually became aware of the offence I had committed, I was naturally horrified. I spent the entire following day on the phone to the court, to the police and to the DVLA to piece together what had happened. As quickly as I was allowed, I came to court to give a statutory declaration. I hope my compliance and the speed with which I reacted to learning of my offence also demonstrates my good intentions.
In spite of these mitigating factors, I do not expect an easy ride and understand that there must be a penalty imposed. My plea is that you take into account the circumstances I have outlined, the fact I have a clean licence, and have never been in trouble with the law before.
In terms of the fine you decide to impose and my ability to pay it, I would please ask you to bear in mind that I am about to go on unpaid paternity leave which will mean I am losing two weeks wages, my partner is also about to start her maternity leave, and we are currently in the process of buying our first home. All of these financial sacrifices are being made to give our first child the best possible start in life and I respectfully ask that you take this into consideration.
I apologise again to the court for taking up your time and am happy to answer any questions for the purposes of clarification or otherwise.
This regret is deepened by the circumstances that led to me committing this offence. As I have stated to the court already, I did not receive the original speeding ticket or the request to identify the speeding driver as I did not update my V5C when I changed address. (I have documentation with me that proves I was not living at the address the correspondence was sent to at the time it was sent, which I am happy to share with you). Whilst I fully acknowledge my responsibility for this error, I would also like to explain to the court how it came to happen.
Prior to moving flat in March 2012, I diligently made a list of all of the companies and organisations I needed to contact to inform them of my impending change of address. This included the DVLA. Being the first car I had ever owned, I made a mental note to check with the DVLA what was required to update my records. During this conversation, I was told that I needed to update my driving licence, which I did, but no mention was made about my V5C. I hope the court would accept that I had no obvious reason to question this and so it was in good faith that I believed I had made all reasonable efforts to maintain my records correctly.
Last month, when I eventually became aware of the offence I had committed, I was naturally horrified. I spent the entire following day on the phone to the court, to the police and to the DVLA to piece together what had happened. As quickly as I was allowed, I came to court to give a statutory declaration. I hope my compliance and the speed with which I reacted to learning of my offence also demonstrates my good intentions.
In spite of these mitigating factors, I do not expect an easy ride and understand that there must be a penalty imposed. My plea is that you take into account the circumstances I have outlined, the fact I have a clean licence, and have never been in trouble with the law before.
In terms of the fine you decide to impose and my ability to pay it, I would please ask you to bear in mind that I am about to go on unpaid paternity leave which will mean I am losing two weeks wages, my partner is also about to start her maternity leave, and we are currently in the process of buying our first home. All of these financial sacrifices are being made to give our first child the best possible start in life and I respectfully ask that you take this into consideration.
I apologise again to the court for taking up your time and am happy to answer any questions for the purposes of clarification or otherwise.