$80 speed ticket now a whopping $9500 bill

A three-year battle over an $80 speeding ticket has landed an Auckland man with a legal bill topping $9400.

On Friday, the Supreme Court threw out selfrepresented Peter Richard Prescott’s appeal.

It was the latest in a series of legal setbacks for Prescott, after a speed camera snapped a car in July 2016 exceeding a 50kmh limit in West Auckland.

A convoluted legal saga followed after police found the plate was registered to Prescott and served an infringement notice on him.

Prescott has argued he was not the driver or registered owner of the allegedly speeding vehicle. He contested the infringement and had a hearing set with two justices of the peace.

He didn’t turn up to that hearing.

The JPs found the offence proven, ordering him to pay the $80 fine and $30 in costs.

He appealed to the District Court. But that court dismissed his appeal in March 2018.

He then went to the High Court for a judicial review.

But Justice Pheroze Jagose said the proceeding was ‘‘an abuse of process’’ and made a $6943.96 costs order against Prescott.

In February this year,

Prescott asked the High Court to recall that judgment.

His request was denied.

Then he tried filing a notice of appeal but that too was rejected.

In April, he asked for leave to appeal to the Court of Appeal.

That notice was filed more than a month late but another judge accepted the delay was due to Prescott being selfrepresented and unfamiliar with court processes.

The Court of Appeal threw out his application for a time extension, and denied a costs application. He then went to the Supreme Court.

According to a new judgment, he argued he wasn’t required to prove beyond reasonable doubt that he was driving the speeding car.

But the Supreme Court said Prescott hit a snag because he did not appear at the hearing with the JPs, and because he sought a judicial review of the District Court decision rather than seeking leave to appeal.

The Supreme Court said Prescott’s arguments arose from ‘‘irregular procedure’’ and were ‘‘not matters of general or public importance’’.

The appeal was dismissed and leave to appeal and more costs of $2500 were awarded to police.

Prescott could not be reached for comment on

Friday.