A judge has adjourned all cases relating to speed van summonses in his district.
Judge Séamus Hughes announced his decision at Athlone District Court yesterday after a challenge from local man Ian Hennessy. It will cover all such cases in Mullingar, Athlone and Longford until at least June 18th.
He brought his challenge against the summons because he contended someone else was driving his car on the day in question. Because he had notified GoSafe, the group with the €80 million State contract to operate the vans, of his intent to contest the charge, the operator of the van was in court to give evidence.
Third party driver
Insp Aidan Minnock said the challenge was not related to Tuesday night's RTÉ
Prime Time
programme on the speed vans and said Mr Hennessy had not turned the page of the summons where the section to declare a third party driver was to be found.
Judge Hughes continued with his questioning of the GoSafe operator in the witness box and raised some of the technical issues referred to in the programme.
“What’s this about bubbles in a spirit level?” he asked. The van operator said if the set-up of the laser and camera tripod in the back of the van was not impeccably level there was scope for inaccuracies.
The judge asked how long this process took to set up, and was told “five or 10 minutes”, a period which included the standing of a calibration staff at a set distance from the van to triangulate the equipment.
“I’m curious. I’ve seen these vans on the side of the roads for a while and I’ve never seen anyone do this. Show of hands? Anybody in the court ever seen anybody do this?” he asked. Not one hand went up.
Checking with his staff as to when he next had a short list, he asked the GoSafe operator if he would take the officers of the court out and show them the set-up procedure. When this was agreed he adjourned the case until June 18th.