I believe I reported a while ago on the case of John Hopwood, British motorist and speeder who was ticketed after a camera caught him driving 48 mph in a 30-mph zone.
Hopwood did the obvious thing: go get your own camera and steal a sign showing a higher speed limit from somewhere else, put it up at the scene of the (first) crime and take a picture to use in court as "proof." Problems:
- Hopwood stole a 40-mph sign, though he had been going 48 anyway, so that his fake proof would only have proven that he broke the law less.
- Falsifying evidence in full view of the camera that caught you breaking the law in the first place is not the best idea.
- Other drivers who live around that area probably know what the speed limit has always been and may raise questions about you unilaterally raising it.
- This is a stupid act, bound to fail.
Or, as the judge put it, "This was a stupid act, bound to fail." Hopwood admitted it. The judge sentenced him to 28 weekends behind bars and 2,763 pounds in legal costs, which is probably a whole lot more than the original fine would have been.
Link: Reuters via MyWay News
