//If the car was parked on his drive how was he fined?//
Section 144A Road Traffic Act (Continuous Insurance Requirements). All vehicles must either be taxed and insured or declared (and kept) off road.
//The SJP system is under scrutiny thanks to an Evening Standard investigation into how elderly and vulnerable people are convicted using the controversial courts mechanism for minor mistakes.//
//You have to admire the English Judiciary (even if they do work in secret).//
There is nothing controversial or secret about the Single Justice Procedure and it is designed to deal with minor offences. Recipients of Single Justice Procedure Notices have three choices:
1. Plead guilty and have the matter dealt with under the SJP.
2. Plead guilty and request a hearing in the normal Magistrates’ Court.
3. Plead Not Guilty.
The Single Justice procedure is used solely for guilty pleas for non-imprisonable offences. The overwhelming majority of traffic offences begin their court journey under the SJP and in the overwhelming majority of them, the defendant is happy to have the matter concluded under the procedure. It’s no different to pleading guilty by post. A SJ will nor disqualify a driver in his absence. If the SJ believes a disqualification is warranted, the case will be put over for a hearing in the normal Magistrates’ Court and the defendant invited to attend.
Nobody is forced to have their prosecution dealt with under the SJP. If the gentleman in this case is unable to deal with his post he ought to consider whether he should continue to drive.