An Ipswich driver has been fined more than £15,000 and disqualified from driving for 30 months after amassing a staggering 138 penalty points on his licence.
Marius Balan, 25, of Foundry Lane, Ipswich, was convicted of twenty three offences under section 172 of the Road Traffic Act 1988 last Friday.
Balan, who seems to be in the habit of ignoring official correspondence, failed to attend on postal requisition, so the charges against him were proved in his absence.
A BMW registered in Balan's name was clocked speeding on numerous occasions between July and December last year. The alleged speeding offences took place on the A12 Ipswich Road between Stratford St Mary and East Bergholt. Equipment recorded the BMW travelling at up to 93 mph on the 70 mph dual carriageway stretch.
Suffolk Police sent Balan Notices of Intended Prosecution and Section 172 Notices on each occasion, but he failed to respond to any of them. Charges were duly laid against Balan, but he failed to attend Ipswich Magistrates' Court last Friday as instructed.
Magistrates' were clearly unimpressed with Balan's lack of compliance, so fined him £660 and endorsed his licence with six penalty points for EACH of the twenty three offences.
He was also disqualified from driving for 30 months under the totting up rule, ordered to pay £1,955 towards prosecution costs and £66 victim surcharge.
This case perfectly demonstrates the importance of the registered keeper of a vehicle responding promptly to any Section 172 Notice they receive. Even if they were not the driver, they are under a legal obligation to provide as much information as they possibly can to allow the police to identify the person who was driving at the time in question.
If the registered keeper knows they were the driver, then it is generally in everyone's best interests that they admit to the fact straightaway.
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