"Illegal right turn" ticket but no CCTV or photos

IgWannA

Ok apparently I can't add links to photos as I'm new here, but here goes - photos of the PCN here - imgur.com/a/DKdEz

Does anyone know if a police officer's word is enough evidence for this?

Coupon-mad

No but pepipoo will and you can also post links there, as a newbie, and they have the experts to help.

Aretnap

IgWannA wrote: »

Does anyone know if a police officer's word is enough evidence for this?

Yes. Even where a criminal standard of proof is required, a court is entitled to convict on the evidence of a single witness if they find his testimony sufficiently convincing (with a handful of statutory exemptions - treason and perjury spring to mind), and people are regularly convicted of offences on the eyewitness testimony of a single police officer. And PCNs are subject to a civil standard of proof - "balance of probabilities" rather than "beyond reasonable doubt", so the adjudicator would simply have to judge which of you was more likely to be correct. While it's not a foregone conclusion that he'd prefer the police officer's evidence over yours (he may have been mistaken, he may not have had a great view etc.), it's unlikely that he'd believe that a policeman would risk his career and his pension by inventing a wholly fictional allegation about an entirely random motorist, when it's not even his job to report such contraventions.

However I am intrigued by this in the Traffic Management Act

(4)The regulations may include provision prohibiting the imposition of a penalty charge except on the basis of—
(a)a record produced by an approved device, or
(b)information given by a civil enforcement officer as to conduct observed by him.

A police officer is neither an approved device nor (presumably) a CEO, so if the regulations may prohibit the issue of a PCN in these circumstances. Not sure what they actually say (the Act says they may prohibit it, not that they must prohibit it) but I imagine someone on Pepipoo will know.

IgWannA

Thanks Aretnap. I think I'll just end up paying it then. I've posted on Pepipoo anyway. The increase by 50% to £195 is enough to scare me into paying the reduced fine of £65... plus I can't afford time off for court if it does go that far.

fil_cad

IgWannA wrote: »

Thanks Aretnap. I think I'll just end up paying it then. I've posted on Pepipoo anyway. The increase by 50% to £195 is enough to scare me into paying the reduced fine of £65... plus I can't afford time off for court if it does go that far.

Another case of RIPP OFF BRITIAN :mad: