A UK court threw out a pair speed camera citations yesterday after a retired veteran police officer admitted on the stand that he falsified official documents used as proof that the tickets were mailed within statutory deadlines. The Southampton Crown Court concluded that it was an abuse of process for a Hampshire and Isle of Wight speed camera partnership employee to backdate documents. The employee said he was acting on direct orders from his superiors.
The case began nearly five years ago when Michael Halliwell, 66, received a speed camera ticket that had been dropped in the mail on October 27, 2004. Under UK law, police have just fourteen days from the day of the alleged offense to send the notice. In this case, the ticket was mailed one day too late. A speed camera employee solved this problem by creating a document that certified that the ticket, known as a notice of intended prosecution, was mailed on October 26, 2004. Under questioning by Halliwell’s attorney, Barry Culshaw, this employee admitted that he filled out the backdated certificate in February of 2005.
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