The Criminal Motorist!

Sir,
Due to recent experiences I feel that I must express my great dissatisfaction of the great British legal machine.

Experience No, 1: I was proceeding along Foresters Drive, Croydon, Surrey, which is a wide, open, fast, but, however, restricted road, when I was apprehended by modern science, i.e. radar. After appearing at Wallington court was fined £25 for this first offence, and although feeling annoyed at the time, now realise was fully justified.

Experience No. 2: Early on Easter Sunday morning my car was broken into and driven away from my home.

Later that morning the Police noticed “my” car and its four occupants exceeding the speed limit somewhere in West Kent. The police gave chase and after some error of judgement, by the driver of my car, it succeeded in piercing a healthy brick wall, somewhere on the Isle of Sheppey.

On trying to reverse from this position, the near-side door was torn away and the police car duly reversed into (leaving my car a write-off). The occupants of my car, two boys and two girls, age approximately 19, were forcibly detained by the two police officers and offered free board and lodging for the rest of the night.

At the ensuing appearance in court, the boy, who had admitted breaking into the car and driving it away, was sent to a detention centre for three months on the charges of stealing and driving the car without insurance or L-plates. (He had already several previous convictions for similar offences.) His accomplice, who was charged with stealing, was fined my nominal fee of £25.

I am writing this letter to you in between spasms, crying, and bouts of laughter caused by this bloody mockery of British justice. Seriously, though, one would think that with the number of cars and drivers in this country today a standardised and fair system of punishments could be devised. I would like to point out that the Police were extremely polite and helpful throughout this whole affair, and I would like to take this opportunity, through you, to thank them,

K.Y.B. [Name and address supplied.—Ed.]