Your despair should not be levelled at the judiciary, casa, it should be levelled at the CPS. Mr Griffiths admitted careless driving for which he was fined £500 and banned for a year. The guideline sentence for the most serious category of careless driving is a fine of a week’s net income (reduced by a third for a guilty plea) and between 7 and 9 penalty points. Mr Griffiths was disqualified for a year so reflecting the seriousness of his offence. Careless driving is not imprisonable and carries only a fine.
This matter was heard at the Crown Court. Careless driving is a “summary” offence which means it can usually only be heard in the Magistrates’ Court. To be at the Crown Court Mr Griffiths must have originally been charged with a more serious offence, probably dangerous driving (max 2 years custody) or possibly even causing serious injury by dangerous driving (5 years). It would be for the CPS to accept his guilty plea to the lesser offence and only they would know why they decided to do so. The “judiciary” (a judge or magistrates) cannot raise charges of their own volition but can only sentence (in accordance with the guidelines) the offence(s) put before them. The CPS prosecute criminal matters and they decide the charges.