A senior Appeal Court Judge was forced to get on his bike today after he lost his licence for 56 days for speeding through a red light - his fourth motoring offence in just eighteen months.
He could have been disqualified for six months, but convinced District Judge Daphne Wickham - the chief stipendiary magistrate for England and Wales - this would cause 'exceptional hardship' to his farming work.
Sir Mathew Thorpe, 73, of Seend, Melksham, Wiltshire admitted failing to comply with a red light in Victoria Embankment on February 3 and was also fined £250, with £250 costs.
City of Westminster Magistrates' Court heard Sir Mathew - a family law expert - had clocked up nine penalty points for speeding in November 2009; July 2010 and April this year.
An additional three penalty points were added for the red light offence making him liable for disqualification.
His Skoda Fabia was snapped by a traffic camera jumping the red light at 39-mph at 6.55am.
"I do rely on the car to get between my two places of work, but more importantly for my farming in Wiltshire," Sir Mathew told the court.
"The farm buildings are the hub of the wheel. Cattle have to be fed by driving around the hub. I work three days a week on the farm."
Sir Mathew told the court he is separated from his wife and has one part-time employee to help him, insisting it was not practical to find more staff
"It would be difficult, I can't say impossible, but in a small community I can't think of anyone qualified or suitable.
"I would want somebody who knew what they were doing on a farm."
Sir Mathew said he needed to drive animal feed a distance of one-and-a-half miles to take care of his cattle.
his lawyer Yvette Kresner said: "It is a very difficult junction. There is a large bike lane and two other lanes.
"It was a split-second decision by Sir Mathew not to cause danger to other road users and go through the lights."
District Judge Wickham - who knows Sir Mathew professionally - announced: "He is entitled to put these circumstances in front of me and six months would be a long time for the defendant to be disqualified if he was able to maintain that aspect of his life."
I am somewhat surprised to learn of Sir Lord justice Mathew Thorpe's plea that he needed his licence to be able to service his farm. When I lived in Seend, Thorpe employed my next door neighbour full time as his farm manager, as well as a number of part time employee's. To say that it is impracticable to find more staff in a farming community like Seend is utter bullshit. How do his cows get fed when he is sitting in court in London????
ReplyDeleteBet if it had been his farm manager up for the same charge he would have received the full totting up ban.
But mates with the judge? I'll let you decide whether justice has been done here.