In dock for speeding, opera professor who’s NEVER driven a car!
This is Kafka comes to Lewes, says vexed judge
WHen opera professor nicholas till was told about a court case for a speeding conviction in his name, he decided to face the music.
However, the sussex University academic had never driven or owned a car in his life.
in an extraordinary case described by a judge as ‘Kafka comes to Lewes’, the non-driver managed to overturn a motoring conviction on appeal.
the saga began when the opera director, who has worked at the royal College of Music and the english national Opera, learned from a colleague that he had been listed for a case at Lewes Crown Court.
it was regarding a conviction for failing to tell police who had been driving a speeding car in september 2019.
Mr till, 67, had been due to appear at the court anyway on the same day over insulate Britain’s protests on the M25 last september. When he asked court officials what he should do about the speeding case, they told him to go to court to clear up the mix-up. so the former BBC presenter dutifully attended on tuesday.
When the court clerk asked him if he was nicholas till, he agreed that was his name but said he had never driven a car.
Barrister Michael shilliday, for the Crown Prosecution service, said a Land rover caught doing 36mph in a 30mph zone on Brighton seafront was registered in his name.
He told the court that the motorist had been convicted in his absence in september 2020 of failing to give police information about who was driving the speeding car. An appeal had since been lodged by the fugitive driver – who, it was to emerge, was another Mr till.
the CPs lawyer also told the court that documentation had been sent to addresses in West sussex. One copy had been returned to police by a Barbara till who denied any knowledge of the defendant. Judge stephen Mooney asked the professor: ‘Barbara till... ring any bells? no? no relation?’
Mr shilliday told the judge: ‘A driving licence was issued to nicholas Alexander till to that address in 2020.’ Professor till said: ‘My name is not nicholas Alexander till. it’s nicholas John thirlwall till.’
Mr shilliday then conceded: ‘i don’t know why this particular Mr till is in court.’ incredulous, the judge said: ‘so you’ve got the wrong man?’ Mr shilliday replied: ‘the short answer is that i don’t know why that Mr till is in the dock.’
He said the other Mr till was 31. the judge said the man in the dock appeared to be wearing well but, without wishing to show any disrespect, he was probably older.
Perplexed, Mr shilliday said: ‘the wrong man is in the dock. that man shouldn’t be appealing.’
it then emerged Professor till had been summoned to the court to face the separate allegation of causing a public nuisance during an insulate Britain protest on the M25, which he denies.
that case has yet to be decided. Judge Mooney allowed Professor till’s appeal against the motoring conviction and said the court would cover any costs he had incurred, saying: ‘this is the wrong man. this is Kafka comes to Lewes!
‘i don’t want this case darkening our door. i don’t want this blundering on. i don’t want Mr till pursued for a debt that he doesn’t owe.’
He allowed the appeal to prevent the professor being wrongly penalised. But he listed the case for next week so inquiries can be made of the other Mr till.
Yesterday Professor till said: ‘An apology from the CPs would be nice.’ the judge was referring to writer Franz Kafka and the nightmarishly complex and illogical quality of some of the worlds he creates in novels such as the trial.