Introduction

Mr MG was returning home from lunch with his family when he was involved in an altercation with a pair of cyclists while driving through Christchurch in Dorset. The cyclists reported him to the police as he allegedly caused one of the cyclists to fall off their bike by the manner of his driving and then drove off without stopping.

Failure to stop at the scene of an accident

Mr MG was of the view that he had not caused the cyclist to fall off his bicycle and that he had not known that the cyclist had been injured as a result. MG was prosecuted for failure to stop at the scene of an accident contrary to section 170 of the Road Traffic Act 1988.

MG was worried about the consequences of conviction as the sentencing guidelines suggested that he could face a custodial sentence for the offence, he also needed to keep his driving licence as he is the sales director for a national company and needed to drive all over the country for his work.

MG therefore instructed Quentin Hunt, a criminal Barrister with extensive experience in Road Traffic cases to assist him on a direct public access basis. Upon instruction Quentin had a detailed conference with MG and put together the a plan of attack with him, taking evidence from witnesses and examining prosecution evidence including dashcam footage.

The case proceeded to trial at Weymouth Magistrates Court. Quentin cross examined both cyclists and an independent witness, drawing out fact supportive of the defence case that the cyclists had been aggressive towards MG and his family within the car and that it was not safe for MG to stop at the scene.

Not guilty outcome

Following detailed legal submissions by Quentin in closing, the Court accepted the defence case and found MG Not Guilty of the offence charged.  He therefore was able to stay on the road and avoided a criminal conviction for the offence of Failure to Stop. MG was delighted.

If you face investigation or prosecution for a Road Traffic matter then you may wish to instruct experienced, tactically astute counsel to give you the bast chance of success.

Quentin Hunt is a criminal defence Barrister who has been dealing with Road Traffic cases for over 25 years and has represented World Champion Sportsmen, premier league footballers, BTIR Award winning pop artists, members of parliament and high profile businessmen.

If you face a serious driving matter or if your driving licence is under threat you may contact Quentin for a free, no obligation telephone conversation about how he can assist in your case.

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