£4,500 bill for biker who fought £60 ticket

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2006/02/18/nticket18.xml

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A motorcyclist who challenged a £60 speeding ticket was yesterday presented with a £4,500 legal bill after police flew in an expert from America to support their case.

David Harris was caught riding his machine at around 90mph nearly two years ago.

Magistrates in Hexham, Northumberland, duly dealt with the matter and handed down a £250 fine and five penalty points.

But Harris, 46, was insistent the speed gun that caught him was faulty and launched an appeal.

It was at this point that the Crown Prosecution Service called in Jeremy Dunne, technical vice president of the head of the American firm that supplies its laser cameras.

Unfortunately for Harris, Mr Dunne had flown in from Denver by the time he decided to withdraw his appeal.

A judge at Newcastle Crown Court ruled that the hapless biker should pay his adversary’s trans-Atlantic air fare, as well as his car hire, mileage, stationery and telephone calls.

This added up, with £600 court costs, to £4,555.88 – a sum described by Harris’s barrister, Nick Cartmell, as “an eye-watering surprise”.

Mr Cartmell appeared to be almost as indignant as his client. He claimed that while the defence had made do with a “bacon and eggs” witness costing £400, the CPS had splashed out on someone in the “caviare and champagne” bracket.

But Judge John Evans ordered Harris, who was not at the hearing, to pay the amount within 12 months.