“Offences of perverting the course of justice are intrinsically so serious that they will almost always attract an immediate custodial sentence unless there are exceptional circumstances justifying a different course” (R v Cronin (2017)).

The Panicked Driver

The scenario is common: one family member already has 9 points on their licence, and a notification of intended prosecution for another traffic offence arrives through the door.

A traffic infraction that is so insignificant in nature that it will only result in 3 penalty points and a small fine. However, due to the previous points on the licence, it is possible that the licence will be revoked in this case.

How easy it would be for someone else to take the fall, perhaps even naming a distant relative; who would know?

Of course, believing that you won’t be detected is the breeding environment for many a blunder.

In actuality, the police are quite interested in these situations, and it frequently only takes a little detective work to figure out who the genuine criminal is.

The points follow, as does the disqualification, which now becomes a reality with no realistic hope of justifying extraordinary hardship, and, worst of all, two people are arrested, potentially in the early hours of the morning, in front of friends and relatives, possibly including little children.

Finally, a prison sentence is imposed. All for the sake of avoiding a few penalty points.

Ironically, in many situations, disqualification may have been avoided if early assistance from an experienced road traffic practitioner had been sought.

Many otherwise nice, hardworking people find themselves in court as a result of rash judgments. Always seek guidance before acting.