Character ref templates for magistrates court?

Oranoco

Oranoco

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No point beating about the bush, I've managed to get busted for speeding on a totally empty motorway. Well..... empty apart from the police car behind me. Upshot is I've got to go to court :-(

Now my 2 bosses, and 2 friends have offered to provide character witness letters for for me in a bid to keep the punishment down. Is anybody able to point me in the direction of some template letters?

I know it's my own fault just in case anybody feels like taking the moral high ground with me please don't bother as I can't feel much worse :-(
 
Oranoco said:
No point beating about the bush, I've managed to get busted for speeding on a totally empty motorway. Well..... empty apart from the police car behind me. Upshot is I've got to go to court :-(

Now my 2 bosses, and 2 friends have offered to provide character witness letters for for me in a bid to keep the punishment down. Is anybody able to point me in the direction of some template letters?

I know it's my own fault just in case anybody feels like taking the moral high ground with me please don't bother as I can't feel much worse :-(
Click to expand...

How fast exactly?


I had to go to court for doing 59 in a 30. I used a traffic solicitor who sorted everything for me. Cost me £150, but my court fee was £350 reduced to £250, and 6 points with no ban.
 
Oranoco said:
No point beating about the bush, I've managed to get busted for speeding on a totally empty motorway. Well..... empty apart from the police car behind me. Upshot is I've got to go to court :-(

Now my 2 bosses, and 2 friends have offered to provide character witness letters for for me in a bid to keep the punishment down. Is anybody able to point me in the direction of some template letters?

I know it's my own fault just in case anybody feels like taking the moral high ground with me please don't bother as I can't feel much worse :-(
Click to expand...

Certainly not taking the moral high ground, not with my record anyway. But why are you looking for templates? Surely the value of a character reference is that it is an authentic opinion written by an individual who knows you. So, for the references to be of maximum benefit to you, each person should write their own letter, their own way. I would imagine the court will spot a template a mile off, and immediately attach less weight to it.
 
I was doing 115ish (4th gear) but the police car nudged 128mph trying to do a follow check at substantial distance. Saddly I've been summonsed for 128 :(
 
Just want to get some idea of content and layout nothing more. I don't want them to just fill in the "x"s in a generic template. My bosses and friends have never had to do this before so none of us really know quite what to put or how to put it.
 
Ouch! That's got to be an instant ban, you would be lucky if you are somehow still able to drive after your court appearance methinks!
 
Expecting a ban just hoping my solicitor can assist enought to get it down to a short ban rather than a 6 month or worse still a year. Solicitor has said he feels he has enough to argue a case to get my offence down to just under the 110 which means possibly 6 points but I'm not holding out much hope on that one.

Kicking myself so much as I so rarely **** about these days. Really unlucky as if I'd been 5 seconds earlier or later I wouldn't have been seen by the police or they woud have been at the junction for me to see :(

No use moaning about it though
 
Oranoco said:
Expecting a ban just hoping my solicitor can assist enought to get it down to a short ban rather than a 6 month or worse still a year. Solicitor has said he feels he has enough to argue a case to get my offence down to just under the 110 which means possibly 6 points but I'm not holding out much hope on that one.

Kicking myself so much as I so rarely **** about these days. Really unlucky as if I'd been 5 seconds earlier or later I wouldn't have been seen by the police or they woud have been at the junction for me to see :(

No use moaning about it though
Click to expand...

I know the feeling mate. I don't exactly do 60 in a 30 zone regularly if at all, t a bit of red mist from being cut up by an OAP in a rover 200 made me overtake her after the exit, and I got speed trapped by a lasergun!

A case of being at the wrong place at the wrong time!
 
These character references need to be individual, on how they feel about what type of person you are generally!
I feel for you i really do, it's no fun being caught and you don't after be a regular fast driver to get caught, it's all to do with luck and sadly you were very unlucky.
I'm sure realistically that there is noone on this forum that can honestly say, that they don't speed in one way or another. Sometimes you don't even know that your doing it!
make sure that you plead that you need a to drive for work and that you may after give up work if you can't drive and will have no choice but to go on the dole......
 
As others have said - its a case of wrong place - wrong time. Feel for you mate.

If I where to write a character reference, I would start off by stating how I knew the person, for how long and drop in a few comments - if you have children, get him to mention them. (I guess you have got to make the judge feel sorry for you) - get them to mention how you drive to work, where you have been there for X years, always been punctual and reliable and how it would effect if you couldnt drive to work - job loss, not being able to support a family without the job.etc
"in a silly lapse of thought Mr Oranoco exceeded the speed limit"..not in his nature..etc

As missviper stated above - you have an aquired set of skills you use for your job - for which there are not many about.
 
thats harsh, were you sh*tty with them when they stopped you? i had a gunned 135mph reduced to 90mph (3 points and fine) after having a fully legal car and being nice
 
Pled poverty, have a sad face and get a good solicitor, I got off with 6 points doing 86 in a 50 mph zone, undertaking around a bend in the wet! Lol having a quattro makes you drive daft! I got references from gaffer but we employ half of Lincoln prison so he was used to doing references.

You take your nan to doctors
Daughter to school
Work need licence essential!
And pleed poverty mitigating citcumstances....... Worked for me.
 
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Cheers mate. Got my court date. Letters now with solicitor so it's a case of wait and see.

Story the other day of a chap doing 110mph on a bike with his 11 year old son on the back riding pillion and he got a 56 day ban and £400 fine. So I'm hoping they won't tear me too much of a new one
 
Oranoco said:
Cheers mate. Got my court date. Letters now with solicitor so it's a case of wait and see.

Story the other day of a chap doing 110mph on a bike with his 11 year old son on the back riding pillion and he got a 56 day ban and £400 fine
Click to expand...

Thats bad that, He'd never forgive himself having an off with young passenger(in my eyes shouldnt be on bike)
 
Well it's all done and dusted and I thought it was going to be bad when the magistrate told me that my speed was the highest she'd had put before her. End result 56 day ban and a £360 fine + costs. Can't moan really but dreading what my insurance will jump to now :(
 
Last edited:
2 months is better than a year I guess
 
No more worry though now, and a small plus is that when you get your licence back it won't have any points on it!
 
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