On Saturday 9 September 2017 he will be taking on the Thames Path Challenge. Being confident (or just foolhardy) he has opted for the 100km option. This route of just over 62 miles follows the River Thames between Putney Bridge and Henley.
Rob understands that the walk can take anywhere between 20 – 33 hours to complete. He’ll be starting around 9am and walking all day and all night with the odd pit stop along the way. Rob has set a targe to complete the route within 24 hours.
Walking for Weston Park Hospital Cancer Charity
Rob’s chosen charity is the Weston Park Cancer Hospital in Sheffield. A couple of years ago Rob’s aunt and uncle, who are twins, were both diagnosed with different forms of cancer within a few months of each other.
They both received their radiotherapy and chemotherapy at West Park. Whilst neither of them are completely out of the woods, they are both doing much better now. Rob was very close to them as a child, and remains close now.
“Giving something back”
Rob says of his motivation “I suppose this is my way of giving something back to them, and that’s why I’m doing it. I also know others who West Park have looked after, and I’d much rather do it for a local charity because whilst you always hope family never need them, it’s nice to know they’re there if they do.”
The walk will be self-funded which means that Rob has paid the cost of the challenge himself. The charity will not be contributing anything towards the walk and therefore, every penny of the sponsorship will go to Weston Park.
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Bracken Lish, Rachel Meadwell and Siobhan McGuinness
Three staff from our Derby office are due to take part in the “Starlight Strut” on behalf of Treetops Hospice. The hospice is based in the village of Risley in Derbyshire.
Treetops supports people with illnesses such as cancer, motor neurone disease and multiple sclerosis. It also supports their carers and families.
All services are provided free of charge. The hospice has to raise more than £3 million every year to run. That’s about £7,500 per day. 70% of this comes from charitable donations and fundraising events.
Siobhan McGuiness, Rachel Meadwell and Bracken Lish
For our colleague Rachel Meadwell this cause is close to her heart. Following her father’s illness he uses the facilities at Treetops to give her mum important respite one day a week.
She has persuaded colleagues Siobhan McGuinness and Bracken Lish to take part in the ladies-only 10k walk that takes place between 10pm and midnight on Friday 19 May 2017.
Over the weekend our Trainee Solicitor Elliott Moulster successfully ran the 2017 Virgin Money London Marathon. The Marathon was a 26.2 miles run across the heart of Central London. This year it was ‘enjoyed’ by a record number of people. In total, there were almost 40,000 runners of every age and ability, each with their own reason to run.
First London Marathon
Although Elliott had never run the London Marathon before, it was a challenge that he was somewhat familiar with having completed the Nottingham Robin Hood Marathon on two previous occasions.
During the first occasion, which he ran for charity, Elliott was able to secure a ‘good for age’ time under 3:00:05. This achievement meant that he was able to obtain automatic entry for the London Marathon. This was opposed to entry through the formidable public ballot which can only accept roughly 1/5 of all applicants due to the sheer volume of demand.
As this was his first Marathon since starting his training with the firm, preperation for the occasion proved to be somewhat challenging. With daily work in the firm’s Regulatory Law department, and his additional commitments including:
all taking priority, time to go out running for hours on end was often sparse.
Placed 880th out of 40 000
Notwithstanding this challenge, it appears that he is managing these commitments extremely well. He passed the finish line of the London Marathon with a new personal best of 02:50:50. This time saw him finish 880th out of the 40 000 who entered.
He could not have done this without the support of his friends and family. Their encouragement at mile 23 saw him through ‘the wall’ that he hit towards the end of the race. With hindsight this was probably self-induced due to his erratic pace at the start of the race!
Overall, he is pleased to that it was an amazing experience and one that he looks forward to repeating in the future, albeit in an even quicker time!
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The new sentencing guidelines as they apply to speeding offences have been receiving some publicity. The reports have highlighted the increase in the level of fine that can be imposed for the most serious examples of speeding that appear before the Magistrates’ Court.
The penalties involve maximum fines of £1,000 or £2,500 if the offence is committed on the motorway.
Nottingham motoring law solicitor Graham Heathcote spoke to BBC Radio Nottingham on 24 April 2017. You can listen to the interview here:
You can begin to work out the starting point for your particular case by looking at where you fall within the bands.
Band A
This covers low level speeding. It will result in three points and a fine of up to 50% of your weekly income. It applies if you are driving up to 30mph in a 20mph zone; up to 40mph in a 30mph zone; 55mph in a 40mph zone; 65 in a 50; 80 in a 60, and; up to 90mph in a 70mph zone.
Band B
This will attract a driving ban of 7 – 28 days will or four to six penalty points. This punishment will be imposed with a fine of up to 100% of your weekly income.
It covers more serious speeding – 31mph to 40mph in a 20mph zone; 41mph to 50mph in a 30 zone; 56mph to 65mph in a 40; 66 to 75 in a 50; 81-90 in a 60, and; 91mph to 100mph in a 70mph.
Band C
This sentencing range is reserved for the most serious speeding offences. The court will consider a driving ban of between 7 and 56 days or impose six penalty points. This could be coupled with a fine up to 150% of weekly income.
This covers speeds of over 41mph in a 20mph zone; 51mph in a 30mph zone; 66mph in a 40mph zone; 76mph in a 50mph; 91mph in a 60mph, and; 100mph in a 70mph zone.
Magistrates’ Court Sentencing Guidelines for Speeding
A change in emphasis for mid-range speeding offences?
The guideline for Band B offences appears to be a change of emphasis in relation to the starting point. It is unlikely to be an error in drafting that suggests that the Magistrates’ should first consider a driving ban and then look at penalty points as an alternative.
We will have to wait and see whether the courts’ interpretation of the guidelines results in more motorists receiving short discretionary disqualifications. We know that the effect of such a driving ban may well be disproportionate to the time that it is in force.
The net effect of these guidelines might effect many more motorists. Those who break the limit by miscalculation rather than recklessness, now face a real risk of ending up off the road. The consequences can go beyond the simple ban, including a massive hike in future insurance premiums.
Aggravating Factors
The table above show the starting point for speeding offences before the court. The fine and whether there is a disqualification or points will defend on the aggravating and mitigating factors in any case.
The guideline features a non-exhaustive list of factors that may increase serious and therefore the financial penalty as well as increase the chances of receiving a disqualification. These include:
Previous convictions
Offence committed whilst on bail
Offence committed on licence or post sentence supervision
Poor road or weather conditions
Driving LGV, HGV, PSV etc.
Towing caravan/trailer
Carrying passengers or heavy load
Driving for hire or reward
Evidence of unacceptable standard of driving over and above speed
Location e.g. near school
High level of traffic or pedestrians in the vicinity
Mitigation
Some aspects of the case might reduce seriousness and therefore the penalty imposed such as:
No previous convictions or no relevant/recent convictions
Good character and/or exemplary conduct
Genuine emergency established
Net effect, many more motorists, who break the limit by miscalculation rather than recklessness, now face a real risk of ending up off the road. The consequences can go beyond the simple ban, including a massive hike in future insurance premiums.
Ring now, 0115 9599550, and get us on your side.
Contract a Motoring Law Specialist
Nottingham motoring law solicitor Graham Heathcote
We appreciate that your driving licence will be important to you. You may receive a notification that the police are considering a prosecution. You might be told that you have a court date.
Here at VHS Fletchers we have an experienced team of motoring lawyers, with extensive experience in what can be a complex area of the law, providing technically sound, clear advice and with a proven track record of saving motorists’ driving licences.
Please contact Graham Heathcote on 0115 9599550 or contact him using the form below for advice and an estimate of our fees.
Contact
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Many people have a pre-conceived idea as to what solicitors do. They sit behind desks, see clients and then write letters trying to get what their client wants. It is assumed this simply repeats itself every day. This couldn’t be further from the truth, however, for criminal solicitors. Each day they attend the office with an idea of what the day should hold – perhaps appointments with clients, a number of court appearances or police station representation. Maybe some time has been set aside for preparation of a particular case.
Criminal solicitors deal with the unexpected
The reality is though that criminal solicitors have absolutely no idea what each day will bring. A new client contact the office may result in the need for any number of actions.
A person may need assistance with a road traffic case or a low value shoplifting. They may face an allegation of a serious sexual offence or assault involving life threatening injuries. No matter what the allegation criminal solicitors have to be prepared and adapt to how one new client may all of a sudden change their entire day.
Chesterfield Crime Solicitor Serena Simpson
Chesterfield Crime Solicitor Serena Simpson recently had to deal with the unexpected. She had a quiet day with no clients before the Court so was planning to use the day reducing items on her ‘to-do’ list.
In the event she received a phone call from the police. A client had been arrested for murder and she was required to attend the police station to provide advice and representation in interview.
Police are investigating a murder
From experience our staff know that an allegation of murder is likely to take many hours and in many cases days to resolve at the police station. Interviews can proceed through the night or into weekends. In such a pressurised situation we know that clients will benefit from seeing the same criminal defence lawyer throughout these interviews. As a result we will always take steps to ensure that a lawyer of appropriate experience can be present to advise for the entirety of the investigation state.
In this case Serena considered her diary for this and the next day and was able to re-allocate work. This left her free to commit to providing continuity of representation at the police station. This would mean that Serena would be working late but had no way to predict when she would finish. There was also the obvious impact on her family life as she wouldn’t be home until late. Any plans she had were cancelled.
Serena provided police station representation to her client into the late evening before returning home. She continued to be in communication with the police until later that night. The following morning she received an early call early requesting her immediate return to the police station for further interviews.
After many hours at the police station Serena’s client was released without charge. There was no cost to him as police station representation is free to anyone being interviewed in the police station.
Finally, Serena was able to return to the tasks she had planned two days earlier, whilst waiting to see which client with what offence would next need her assistance.
Contact us for dedicated police station representation
All of our staff strive to offer the best service to our clients. This is illustrated by the steps Serena took so that she could provide police station representation throughout this case.
Our 24 hour emergency service means that if you require legal advice on any criminal matter, whatever the time of day or night, and seek a solicitor who provides you with the client care that you need then please telephone your local office to speak to a criminal defence lawyer.
Chesterfield Crime Solicitors VHS Fletchers can be called on 01246 283000. Alternatively you can contact any of our solicitors using the form below.
They both received their radiotherapy and chemotherapy at West Park. Whilst neither of them are completely out of the woods, they are both doing much better now. Rob was very close to them as a child, and remains close now.
