Drink drive loophole law firm ‘immoral’
A LAW firm that boasts about exploiting legal loopholes to help motorists escape drink or drug driving bans has been branded ‘immoral’ by road safety campaigners, who are demanding its YouTube film is taken down.
On the five-minute video, Conor Johnstone brags he can help drivers avoid convictions by finding fault with evidence or ‘taking advantage’ of the way the prosecution deal with cases.
And, he says, defendants can also claim they have a ‘special reason’ why they should avoid a prosecution, including that their drink was spiked or they drove only a short distance.
Last night road safety charity Brake said the videos for Cheshire-based MAJ Law should be taken down and called on the Government to crack down on legal loopholes.
A spokesman said: ‘At Brake, we deal every day with those bereaved or seriously injured by road crashes involving a drug or drink driver and using loopholes like this is an insult to them.’
Labour MP Bambos Charalambous, who sits on the Justice Select Committee, added: ‘If a law firm is telling people whom they know to be guilty of an offence how to get round it then that’s deeply concerning.’
MAJ Law director Marcus Johnstone said: ‘I realise that many people will be upset by the fact that we defend “drink drivers” and “drug drivers”. As a solicitor I am obliged to represent a client that asks for my assistance.’
He defended the videos, adding: ‘I cannot see a problem in providing information that many people do want.’