Mansfield motoring law solicitor Emma Cornell persuaded Magistrates to impose a sentence that dealt with the issues underlying her client’s offending.

An inevitable prison sentence?

Emma first met her client in the cells at Mansfield Magistrates’ Court.  He had been kept by the police for a remand into custody.  This was because he faced new charges of drink driving and driving whilst disqualified.

Unfortunately, these charges were his eighth relating to excess alcohol and third for driving whilst disqualified.  He had received prison sentences for all of his more recent offences.

The seriousness of these offences was aggravated by his history of offending and because he was driving in breach of a court order.

Breaking the cycle of offending?

Sometimes it is right for a court to try and break a cycle of offending.  In this particular case it was clear that Emma’s client had a problem with alcohol.  When in drink he made poor choices and this led to the offending that kept on bringing him back to court.

The maximum sentence that could be imposed in his case was one of six months imprisonment, even for the combination of offences.  As he had pleaded guilty at the first opportunity the sentence was likely to be less than the maximum, even bearing in mind his record.

This meant that he would serve less that 3 months in prison.  He would not receive any assistance while in custody to address his problems.  It seemed unlikely that any meaningful work would be done by probation under licence following his release.

An alcohol treatment requirement

The Magistrates were therefore presented with a stark choice.  Emma persuaded them that there was a better option than a simple prison sentence.  These sentences had failed to work in the past in terms of deterrence or rehabilitation.

After hearing Emma’s persuasive mitigation the Magistrates adopted the probation recommendation.  This was for a suspended sentence coupled with an alcohol treatment requirement.  The aim is to reduce or eliminate a person’s dependency upon alcohol.  This is made possible by the help of specialist agencies working in the community.

Positive client feedback

Emma’s client knew how close he had been to receiving a further prison sentence.  As a result he took the time to write a card and buy flowers to reflect the work Emma carried out on his behalf.  While such thanks is not expected, it is always gratefully received.

Contact Mansfield motoring law solicitor Emma Cornell

Whether you need advice on a police investigation or documentation that you have received from the court then you will wish to contact Mansfield motoring law solicitor Emma.

She will advise you on whether you have a potential defence or whether, for example, special reasons or exceptional exist to avoid a driving disqualification.

Please call her on 01623 675816 or use the contact form below.