This article is from page 6 of the 2014-06-10 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 6 JPG
MOTORISTS accused of speeding offences on Clare roads have been told their cases will not be dealt with until a High Court case on the Go Safe speed camera network is resolved. At Ennis District Court on Friday, Judge Patrick Durcan ad- journed 17 speed camera prosecutions to September 19.
A total of 18 people faced prosecutions for alleged speeding offences allegedly captured by cameras mounted in Go Safe vans.
Judge Durcan struck out a case against one person following an application from the State. The privately run Go Safe has operated speed camera vans in Ireland since winning the Garda contract in 2009.
The cameras operate on sections of road, which have a history of collisions occurring where speed was a contributory factor.
In recent months, Judge Durcan has been critical of Go Safe and has struck out a number of speeding charges brought against motorists in Clare. On Friday, Judge Durcan told all those who had answered summons issued by Insp John McDonald, that the law with regards to issuing of fixed charge penalty notices is the “cause of some controversy in the land”. He said a colleague has sent a case to the High Court seeking clarification of the law under-pinning the speed camera system.
He said he was adjourning all cases until the issue in the High Court has been dealt with.
He told those people facing prosecutions their cases were adjourned to September 19. He told them they are not required to be present in court on the day.
There was a brief exchange when the Judge told a Cork man facing a Go Safe prosecution he would get “brownie points” for being present in court on Friday.
To laughter in the court, the man replied, “Which points?”
Judge Durcan said, “Brownie points, a different category of points to the ones concerned with here.”
Five Go Safe Inspectors were present in court for the adjournments. As they left the courtroom Judge Durcan asked them to convey to Inspector McDonald “that it is a total waste of time and public money you guys turning up here until after September 19. Any prosecutions before then will be adjourned.”
“I don’t like to see State money wasted seeing five strapping men sit here all day,” he added.