2017 – 2018 Testimonials

2017 – 2018 Testimonials
UPDATE/SUCCESS STORY. This has been a long time coming but most of the information is either in the main post or the comments.

In short:
Received a parking fine for parking for longer than intended
Wrote a repeal which failed

Came across KYR and Aussie Speeding Fines so I went into extensive research and received a lot of info from people on the above mentioned sites/books.

By the time I collected enough info, my fine was well overdue and were going to suspend my license over $112 fine (which escalated to $217)

Sent in a notice of better particulars under the process of annulment (literally the only point of contact that was available to me from any government services)

ACTUALLY received a letter stating that it was suspended (which I rectified by ringing up the RMS)

Received an email stating that after reading my annulment, they want to challenge me in court.

Received ANOTHER email from them which I am more than happy to leave in the comments ๐Ÿ˜Š

I want people who are sceptical about our constitutional rights, as well as people who have no faith in beating the corrupt system that we live in, to read this and realise that we still have a chance. There were people who said to โ€˜just pay the fineโ€™ and yet here I am having successfully beaten the system while using their own system against them.

Thanks,

Jesse – NSW

Hi Guys,

Some good news for a change!!

Got home today and I had 6 withdraws notices for eTag fines.

The Aussie speeding fines process works!

I modified your letters slightly from my experience and studies, with you guys, CLRG, and some outstanding individuals.

The key take away is IT DOES WORK!!!!

I still have a ton more, and I might be gloating a bit early but at least Iโ€™ve had 6 winsโ€ฆ.in arrow. Just getting started.

Long live our constitution ๐Ÿ˜Š

Regards,

Laz – Vic.

Hi guys,

I attended magistrates court on a parking fine today. I parked in a ticketed 4 hr parking and payed for the first 4 hours then paid for the 2nd fourย hours.ย  The council alleged I overstayed my parking under road rule 205. I explained to the Magistrate road rule 205 did not apply because 205 is about permissive parking bays which are non-ticketed.ย  I told the magistrate only road rule 207 applied which is a permissive sign withย ticket. I told the Magistrate, why is it that the council cannot get their paperwork correct and also ifย I was to be charged then it would be road rule 207 even though I know I have not broken the road rule.

The Magistrate I could tell knew that this was a good case and offered that if I plead guilty considering it was the mention then she would dismiss the case and allow me to leave. I pleaded guilty not wanting to re attend court once moreย and paid no fine or cost.

If I had the time I would have went to court and I knew from the Magistrates actions that I would win more likely and it would be a precedent and that all others who been fined in a similar manner would need to be compensated.ย 

Thanks,

Nick.ย 

P.S. Happy for you to share this with you members.

Well!!!

First I want to thank Aussie Speeding Fine for your valuable information – I had doubts but went ahead and took the WA Police to court.

Last Nov a bike cop alleged I was doing 93 in a 60 zone in WA. I was 100% not doing 93. Asked to see the speed device, was told too late heโ€™s reset it.

The trial was this morning and guess what…. case was dismissed!

I believe it was because I had done the 3 letter process and the officer knew he couldnโ€™t prove anything.

Thank you to everyone who has offered suggestions and support here, you are awesome!!!

I fought the Law and I WON!!!

Dana

Hi Guys,

My name is Jeff. I was sent a speeding fine for traveling 4 KM over aย 60 KM limit I asked for a photo of the incident but they said I would have to pay I think about $7.50 PLUS.

I said what they are really doing is withholding reverence. I then refused to pay, I spent the next 12 months fighting the unlawful Infringement Court, threats of license suspension, stopping me from re-registering my car etc.

Then, the unlawful Sheriffย  came in on the scene. I got a letter to say he would come to my home and take items to the value of the fine plus Costs. Under Fee Simple Title no-one can enter your property without your permission. He never came around.ย 

After all that I got my day in Court. In fact a Magistrates Court at that point. I received a brief, A police prosecutor read out the Charge and it was my turn I said this Court cannot hear this Caseย  I gave the reasons. This Court is an unlawful Administrative Court I can only be charged under Common Law, also the Magistrate has not taken a lawful Oath of Office as per the 1869 Promissory Oaths Act.

Moving on, the magistrates Court is a STAR Chamber that has been unlawful for more than 400 years. The so called Magistrate, and he was a realty a nice block, said Charge was proven but with no fine. I appealed to the County Court, within 5 minutes the Judge dismissed the Case saying No case to answer.

Remember: Courts in all States of Australia are without a doubt, unlawful. The Judge needs to swear a Lawful Oath of Office and an Affirmation of allegiance to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth the 2nd, not to the Treasonous โ€˜Queen of Australiaโ€. After all, the Common Law Courts are in fact Queens Courts, the rest are Rubbish.

On page 614 about 1/3 down the page of the Annotated Constitution of theย Australian Commonwealth states NO MAN CAN BE LEGALLY BOUND————-ย  .

Thanks,

Jeff โ€“ Vic.

Hi guys;

Had the local Sheriff drop by today, as the SRO have been threatening to do for a while and, have done before looking for the same name (mine, but middle and last names misspelled byย one letter each).ย  I normally screen all my suspicious mail with a strong torch and send it back if it’s something I don’t like or if it’s not for me.ย  Obviously, a misspelled name is also not forย me.ย  This final time, I realised it wouldn’t make a difference if I opened this one.

It’s for an unpaid bill but refused to pay because the name’s wrong, but get this – instead of the roughly $400, it’s now about a grandย more.ย  Something tells me the State is adding to it hoping to graft a heap more for some of its other departments, like a computer court, Sheriff department etc.

I would have recorded this conversation if I was ready, but my phone’s useless for that and my other devices have flat batteries.ย  I get a bang on the window from 2 copsย and the following was a very friendly exchange:

ME: “Hey fellas, what’s up?”

SH: “We’re from the Albury Sheriff’s office. Are you uh.. [firstname middlename]?”

ME: “Sorry, which person are you after?”

SH: “[firstname middlename –ย (misspelled)]”

ME: “No. You’ve been here looking for that name before.”

SH: “Have we? Oh, okay.”

ME: “I don’t even know what it’s about.”

SH: “Just an unpaid fine that came from State Debt Recovery Office.”

ME: “Didn’t they change their name a few years ago?”

SH: “Who?”

ME: “SDRO.”

SH: “Uh, yeah.”

ME: “So the SDRO no longer exist then?”

SH: “Nah, but same thing.”

ME: “I beg to differ.”

SH: “Okay, but do you have a driver’s licence we can see, just to verify?”

ME: “I gave that back.”

SH: “Medicare card?”

ME: “I’ll get you something.ย (get forklift licence, show it through flywire door)”

ME: “Can you see that?

SH: “No, can’t read it.”

ME: “Okay (I open the door and show him again)”

SH: “Is your surname [lastname]?”

ME: “No, I was only given 2 names, the surname was assigned to the person.”

SH: “Heh.. Okay. Is that your birthdate?”

ME: “You mean b-e-r-t-h date? I was born, only ships get berthed.”

SH: “So when were you born?”

ME: “No idea. Nobody knows when they were born. I can’t honestly swear to it in court.”

SH: “That’s true.ย (he writes stuff down)”

(It’s obvious the name’s misspelled and they didn’t let on or question it, but I wanted more info).

ME: “I don’t know if someone’s really dyslexic, but if anyone says that’s my name, it’s fraud, right?”

SH: “What, if you say it’s yours?”

ME: “Yeah,ย orย anyone?”

SH: “Yeah.”

ME: “But it’s the person, not the man. You know all about that, right?ย (fishing, but I couldn’t believe what he said next)”

SH: “Yeah, but let’s not get into that now, it gets pretty complicated.”

ME: “Heh.. Okay.”

(They finish writing stuff)

SH: “Okay, sorry to bother you.”

ME: “No probs.”

Thing is, I’ve never had such a friendly encounter with cops, ever.ย  I’m pretty sure these were the same 2 cops that turned up some months ago.ย  Last time though, they didn’t ask me for ID.ย  Although this was easy because the name’s misspelled, goes to show that if the name’s not a perfect match, they can’t do much.ย  Especially if they see you know what you’re talking about.

Olly – Albury

Hi all,

I won my not stopping at an orange light court case. As you recommended, I did not use any karate chops or back flips. I simply established reasonable doubt.

The magistrates final conclusion was. It could be seen, that you were rushing to get through the lights, but as this is a criminal court I must give the benefit of the doubt.

The โ€˜how to win your court caseโ€™ section in the Aussie Speeding Fines book was the best help. I was able to cross examine the police officer in a way I would not have thought of without the books knowledge.

I helped block up the courts. It was unlikely my case was going to be held that day as they were overbooked. But a case finished early upstairs, and I luckily went up there, to a different magistrate, who was having a better day and ruled in my favour.

I found out the police officer who originally booked me was a Senior Constable of the Terrorism Intelligence Unit. She was a little annoyed to have taken a day from work to lose my case and is not that intelligent to prioritise taking a day off terrorism investigations to incriminate someone for the terrible crime of not stopping at an orange light.

It has been nice to try out all that I have learnt. A nice result, but I forget to ask for costs. As the magistrate was reading out the final statement, I was more thinking where do I have to go to lodge an appeal. Asking for costs was not in my reality at the time.

Thanks Guys,

Paul from Sydney.

Hi Guys,

Just letting you guys know.ย  I had 2 parking infringements from Wyndham City Council just before xmas. They have both been withdrawn using your methods. Thanks a lot keep up the good work. You can use this in your testimonials if you wish.

Cheers,

John โ€“ Vic.

Hi ASF,

I actually had a win against the blatant illegal government of STH AUSTRALIA over $10000 of fines I challenged the validity of the courts that issued them.

It took all of two days for the Fines Recovery Unit to tell me that they had written off the fines and no more correspondence into the matter was required

I now have 7 more cases against VICPOL over their illegal compulsory breath analysis testing in May

Greg

Hey Guys,

Just wanted to let you know I was in the Ringwood Magistrates Court yesterday contesting unpaid toll fines which had proceeded to court after reaching $220.

Long story short, after the police tried to bully me into a guilty plea I returned back to the court room for a mention re hearing. After I explained to the registrar that the toll road had breached my right to free movement within the state of Victoria, as per the Victorian charter of human rights plus many other issues, I intended to bring forward at the next hearing she offered to take a guilty plea in exchange for the fine being wiped and only pay the 40 dollar court administration cost.

Very happy for my first time but will follow threw to full hearing next time.

Regards

Jake โ€“ Vic.

Hello all,

Following up from last week. I had the hearing yesterday for annulling the decision by Revenue NSW that I could not go to court because I had not filled out the elect to go to court notice.

I kept with the defence that statute laws are not in line with the basic rights to a fair trial.

The Magistrate read a few papers and delayed my case for later in the day because he had to read some law regarding my case. He said this sort of case does not come up very often and he had to check some law.

When we resumed he threw the law book at me and for someone who has not studied their rights,ย that would have been the end.

I then asked what is the jurisdiction of the court and does it recognise the bill of rights 1688? As I wanted to bring into the debate, the good old sect 12. “That all grants and promises of fines and forfeitures before conviction are illegal and void” which would end this case immediately.

The Magistrate refused to say what the Jurisdiction of the court was. I asked three times and then let him know I have grounds for a judicial review.

I remember you guys saying that you need to give the Magistrate a way out. It was not in my plan, but luckily I did say I wrote some letters to Revenue, that were terribly written, as I could not get my thoughts onto paper the way I wanted and if I could go back, I would re write those letters. Which is true.

The Magistrate said something along the lines of that is not the right thing to do. Then remembering Darryl explaining the mistake clause which I did look up and study. I quickly stated yes I made a mistake.

He took that as the way out and I have my next appearance in two weeks for the matter of not stopping at an amber light.

On the way out a young lawyer gave me smile before quickly returning to her court poker face. I am glad someone was there to appreciate the moment.

It has been great learning from you Mike and Darryl. I did get the Aussie Speeding Fines book years ago and had success with it. But it wasn’t until going to your seminar in Sydney last year that something clicked. That I am not powerless against the Government. And a year later be confident enough to take on a Magistrate in such a way as this, to have this result is extraordinary.

Thank you very much!

Paul – NSW

Dear Sir/Madam

I purchased your e-book on the 24 February 2015.

I received the E-Book and scanned through it.

Following the advice I read my speeding fine was never been paid!!

Queensland Licencing wrote to me to inform me some 3 months after the alleged incident, that I had been issued 1 Demerit point for Nathan (where the alleged incident occurred) and if I got to 12 points I would loose my licence!! (had 8 points prior to this but they have gone now)

2 days later I receive another letter from SPER again demanding money with menace!! So I relented and applied to go to court, with my wife insisting that I sign the form and for her to post it, because she didn’t trust me to mail it!!

It has now been over three years since the alleged offence and still no Court date!!!

Alan – QLD

Hello All,

Just wanted to thank you profusely for your assistance. My long running battle with Citylink is finally over thanks to buying your book and using your advice. Years of bullying has come to an end. Can`t thank you or recommend you enough.

Kindest Regards

David โ€“ Vic.

Well done guys and thanks for all the help and advice.

Fine has been withdrawn.

Thanks again for all your help.

Cheers,

Damian โ€“ QLD

You can read a copy of the letter from SPER confirming this fact, via this link – https://aussiespeedingfines.com/attachments/SPER_letter.pdf

To all the people at ASF,

Thank you, the fine has bene withdrawn. Without you blokes and all your advice and assistance, I would not have thought this to be possible.

It does work and very well. Feel free to use this in testimonials, as I do appreciate your work very much.

Kel – QLD

You can view a copy of the QLD Police letter confirming the fine has been withdrawn, via this link – https://aussiespeedingfines.com/attachments/QLD_Police_letter.pdf

Hi Guys,

Thanks again for your hard work in finding what’s happening. You have inspired me to start campaigning against our laws and legal system. I’m enjoying going to court now and clogging up the corrupt legal system. Next court date is 22nd Jan. It’s very difficult to awaken the Australian Public but slowly and surely it will happen. I must admit I was once asleep, I now see. Once you see you can’t unsee.

My entire family thinks I’m crazy and think it’s a “fluke” that I beat the council in a silly fine. The schooling indoctrination camps are working well. Unfortunately, ignorance is bliss. Sometimes I wish I could be ignorant again.

I’ll send through my letter from the council confirming that the fine has been withdrawn.

Simon – QLD

You can read the full letter from the council via this link – https://aussiespeedingfines.com/attachments/Brisbane_Council_letter.pdf

Hi there,

I had an experience 2 years ago where I was pinged (correctly) for driving an unregistered vehicle. There were quite a few flaws with the way the RMS had handled it and I had all the clever strategies drawn from your book ready to go. But I sat in a few cases prior to mine and observed the magistrate.

The prosecutor was a killer and thought they had me dead to rights. I told the magistrate the absolute truth of the circumstances, and could contextualise my behaviour from cases just heard. His honour was pleased to hear such a refreshing account and dismissed the charges (after checking my record for any prior pattern). Not Sec 10, fully dismissed.

If you are curious why, it was because I had been called to pick up some drunk friends 10km away who realised they couldn’t drive home so called me 11:30pm. I got about 4km and realised I had taken the just-run-out-of-rego car, but didn’t go back for the other one as didn’t want these girls getting the bright idea to drive home just because I didn’t turn up quickly enough.

That the RMS sent the renewal papers to the wrong address, and other faults, and the consequences thereof, are things I never even mentioned… So nice to have the comfort of your book knowledge, but ultimately not needed for this one.

Kind regards,

Vince

Hi there,

They got solicitor to send me a letter demanding money so I sent back that I want the matter heard in competency jurisdiction and this was there (sic) reply.

Thanks for your help,ย it wasย 7 months but I won. Please use this letter if you want.

Cheers Brett โ€“ NSWย 

Hi Brett,

Thank you for your email and apologise for the delay.

Please note all parkers have the ability to appeal a breach notice via our website or in writing which you choose not to do when you received the breach notices. We have a fair and equitable appeals process which would have resolved this far sooner.

Traffic Monitoring Services Pty Ltd has been engaged by Secure Parking to act as an agent to issue non compliance breach notices. Secure Parking operates car parks like this one for owners. Owners normally include adjacent businesses who offer parking as a service to customers.

The car park is private land and owners have the right to decide who may park there. As you would expect, owners are keen to ensure that parkers are genuine customers. If parking spaces are full because other people choose to park for free or for extended periods the businesses would suffer.

Parkers are therefore only invited to enter and park on the basis of the terms and conditions which are displayed. Secure Parking takes care to ensure that these terms are clear and prominent. Secure Parking is confident that parkers should be in no doubt that by entering the car park they are entering into an agreement. The agreement provides that if the vehicle overstays the parker is liable for breaching the terms. This is all clear from the terms and it is a legal contract.

We stress that these arrangements are in place to protect the businesses who work with Secure Parking. They are also there for the convenience of genuine customers.

You may be wondering how we obtained your personal details. Please note that our appointed solicitors obtained a Court order requiring the relevant Motor Vehicle Registry to supply your name and address details. In summary, your name and contact details were obtained through normal legal procedures.

Secure Parking is always willing to consider any individual case, for example if it can be demonstrated that a parker was in fact a customer of the business or if there is some other reason why the breach notice is unfair.

The businesses who work with Secure Parking welcome your comments and your custom but do require that all parkers comply with the agreement formed when parkers accept the invitation to enter the private car park.

As gesture of goodwill we will waive 2 of your breaches below however, should this situation arise again we will not be in a position to waive any further Breach Notice that you receive.

Please ensure that you abide with the stated terms and conditions of the car park at all times. If you do not agree to the conditions, then you must immediately leave the premises to avoid breaching the agreements.

Mel

Traffic Monitoring Services Pty Ltd.
P.O. Box 108
North Sydney NSW 2059
Telephone: 1800 467 241

G’day guys,

Today, 14/11/17 I defeated drive unlicensed, use unregistered and uninsured vehicle in court and all with info from your show/books.

Using notice for discovery, I demanded (not requested) the certified copies of proclamation certificates for the Acts I was charged under. To this I received certified copies from various agencies proving I had no license and my spouse’s vehicle was unregistered but after another demand, I received a reply from police prosecution that Section 143 evidence act matters of law stating proof is not required blah blah regarding proclamation certificate so my demand was denied.

I replied with a High Court Precedent Munday vs Gill stating police must prove all aspects of the case including the lawfulness of the Acts referred to…..silence was deafening.

Then in court, I stated the prosecution had failed to provide tangible evidence the legislation was indeed valid. The magistrate told me that the Acts were indeed relevant…no, I asked for validity but was hurriedly ignored. H

ere I then proceeded with the fact that some of the very M.P. s who draft the legislation are embroiled in a dual citizenship saga and all things of judicial standing must follow proper due process even the magistrate’s who preside in court. I was toldย that pleading not guilty to my charges gave me and I quote ” a snowflake’s chance ” but he ruled in my favour under sentencing act to dismiss all charges

Thank you …I fought the law and the law lost

Glen

Hi ASF,

Several years ago before I found your interesting web site I was caught in Canberra on the Barton highway heading west towards Yass by a speed camera supposedly doing 100kph in an 80kph zone.

When I opened the fine and read theย fine’s details I couldn’t determine which direction I was driving as it wasn’t clear.

So I rang the appropriate department and ask to have the matter taken to court. when asked on what grounds I said that the direction wasn’t clear and explained why.

The person asked me to hang on the phone while he made enquiries from his supervisor. After about a ten minute wait I was informed that the matter had been dropped because there was a mistake in details of the fine.

I look forward to reading your emails.

Keep up the good work.

Hi Guys,

Just thought I’d give you an update to this. I sent in a letter to the Police Prosecutor as per your advice, requesting that the matter be withdrawn as per Statute of limitations.

It took them a month, but I finally got a reply today advising that the case has been reviewed and the matter will now be withdrawn from the court system.

Another win for the common man!

Just wanted to say thanks again for your assistance and guidance! ๐Ÿ™‚

Cheers,

Wafi

Hi Aussie Speeding Team.

It has been a while since I last heard from you. however, here is another little success over the greedy state pollies thanks to your Ebook.

On 16 Dec. 2016 I was booked by NSW Police for not parking in a designated parking spot in the Westfield shopping centre carpark in Mt. Druitt. the fine was $108.00. I objected to the fine with the SDRO claiming that my wife was a disabled person and that we had a disabled parking permit allowing us to stop in a no parking zone to drop off or pick up passengers or goods for 5 minutesย but could not get anywhere with them even when using the three letter system.

So I went to court. The mentioning was in April 2017 where I pleaded Not Guilty. The hearing was held about three months later. I was charged under the Local Government Act of 1993 section 650, 4-a. The section states that if the signs are erected by council and if the carpark was marked by council, it is an offense to park a vehicle outside the marked bays. The coppers failed to check whether this was a council free parking area or not.

So I pointed out to the magistrate that the LGA section 650 did not apply because; the council did no erect the signs and did not mark the carpark. The conditions of entry sign clearly states that the carpark is made available for people who work there, visit or use the centre only and not the general public and is signed by Westfield and not the council.

So the magistrate said to the prosecutor, Mr. More, it looks like you are in trouble here. Case dismissed. All in all I have had three victories our of three cases thanks to the information contained in your book.

Thanks again.

Regards,

Johann – NSW

Hi Guys,

A friend of mine from NSW got a parking ticket in Victoria and a toll fine from Victoria. In both cases he told them he is not in their jurisdiction and so will not pay the fine.

The toll fine was dropped after a few letters. The parking fine progressed as far as his licence actually being suspended.ย  He responded with legal action against them as they have no authority to suspend his licence. The bullies got scared and backed away very quickly dropping the fine and lifting the licence suspension.

The moral of that story is you must know your rights. Most people would have backed down once their licence was suspended. But my friend had the knowledge and the courage to continue on past their bluff and won.

Thanks guys!

Paul โ€“ NSW

Hey guys,

An update on my sheriffโ€™s matters. So, got pulled in on a roadside sheriffs blitz, they told me I could leave and take the van but it was unregistered. So, I went and got it registered at Vicroads and returned to find the van stolen by the sheriff.

As you are all aware, they want you to pay in full or apply for revocation. I applied for revocation and said I want to exercise my right to go to court, one matter was knocked back and they needed me to go before the Magistrate to get leave to have the matter revocated.

So I went to the Magistrates court and applied under hardship using this form:

https://www.magistratescourt.vic.gov.au/forms/application-vehicle-be-released-impoundmentimmobilisation-due-hardship

It is an application under the hoon laws when your car is impounded for hooning. So, I made the application, waited the 7 days for processing, went to Melb Magistrates Court and went before Magistrate Holtzer, who granted me the application with no fees or charges to pay.

So, for the next 2 days the Sheriff & Infringements court registrar told me they couldn’t find my van, (bullshit) so I went back to Magistrate Holtzer and told him his order was being ignored. He rewrote the order and included the magic words โ€œsheriff must releaseโ€. (He also said it appears someone doesn’t want you to have you van back Mr Dickson).

So took the order to the Infringements court again, now they were sooking up because Iโ€™d done all they had asked and now could not refuse. They made me wait 2 hours, then sent me home and called me with a sheriff to call. Called Lisa, the sheriff, who was very helpful and nice and was given a 55 minute window of opportunity to get the van back from impound. She also told me the sheriffs legal team were going to the Magistrates court Monday morning to challenge the jurisdiction of Magistrate Holtzer to grant me the order under hoon laws. So, got to the holding yard at 3.59pm with 1 minute to spare and now have my van back. ๐Ÿ˜‰

Darren 1

Sheriff ย Zero ย  ย ๐Ÿ˜‰

They also said they might issue warrants for my arrest but f*** them with their fake warrants! Iโ€™m going to the Supreme court on this one.

I do believe I’m the 1st ever to have a vehicle released under this application for sheriffโ€™s warrants ๐Ÿ˜‰

Darren โ€“ Vic

Good’ay guys.

Quite some time ago, I changed my view toward a lot of the so-called “license-saving information” you provide, because quite frankly, for me personally it never ever got me off so much as one speeding fine. And believe you me, I tried numerous times! I followed your information & recommendations to-the-letter. Presented all those arguments you suggest.

All to no avail. I can also say the same for almost every parking fine I’ve tried to fight in the past. The only parking fine I got off some years ago was simply due to the fact that the informant no longer worked for the council, so consequently, was unavailable to testify. Therefore, the prosecutor decided to withdraw that one. Now to me, a situation like that has far more to do with luck rather than putting forward legal arguments.

About the only positive thing I’ve gained from ASF, is the knowledge that if I choose to do so, I can have my matter heard in an open court. I used to get nervous going through this process, but not anymore. I’ve done it so many times that it now no longer phases me at all. And along the way, I’ve also learned that by exercising this tactic, any fine/cost that’s subsequently imposed can be converted into hours of community service. In other words, I haven’t paid a monetary fine in years!!

Having said all that, here’s a little something I thought I’d share with you.

More recently, just last month in fact, I did have a most unexpected and very surprising win against a quite stupid $159 parking fine issued to me by Moonee Valley council for parking in an area of Ascot Vale which magically becomes a No Standing zone whenever there’s what’s deemed as a ‘major event’ at either the Show Grounds or Flemington Race Course. The area in question is a street that I’ve been parking in for the last 31/2yrs. I frequent the area because I act as a part-time care-taker for one the residents in that street. Anyway, the very next day after receiving the infringement, I emailed the council stating the following:

“Please be advised that I wish to have this matter dealt with in an open court hearing. As such, could you please send me the relevant Court Election Form to fill in so that I may exercise this option?”

In response to that, they sent me a letter (not an email, but a physical letter) stating the following:

“Dear Mr xxxx

REVIEW OF INFRINGEMENT NOTICE NUMBER 3133335

I am writing about your recent application for review of your Infringement Notice.

Before arriving at a review decision, I carefully considered the issues raised by your application and thoroughly examined the evidence compiled by Council officers.

In this case, I am pleased to tell you that your application has been successful.

We enclose a Withdrawal Notice for your records.

Thank you for taking the time to apply to us on this matter.

Yours faithfully,

Neil lengo

Team Leader Parking Control

Encl.ย ย ย  Withdrawal Notice”

ย 

And the included ‘Withdrawal Notice’ reads as follows:

“Infringements Act 2006, Infringements Regulations 2016

Withdrawal Notice

The name of the person served with the infringement notice:

Matthew xxxxx

Date of Withdrawalย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย  25 August 2017

Offence Dateย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย  20-Aug-2017

Offence Timeย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย  14:30:00

Infringement Notice Numberย ย ย ย  xxxxxxxx

Registration Numberย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย  xxxxxxx

Offence Locationย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย  Morshead Street, ASCOT VALE

Officer IDย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย  017

Offence Typeย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย  Stopped – In a no stopping area

ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย  (Road Rule 167)

The infringement notice has been withdrawn and the City of Moonee Valley intends to take no further action.

The amount of any infringement penalty and any prescribed costs that have been paid will be refunded within 14 days.

Further enquiries may be made by:

Telephone:ย ย ย ย ย ย  03 8325 1791 Fax: 03 9377 2100

Mail:ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย  Mail to P.O. Box 126 Moonee Ponds 3039

Internet:ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย  www.mvcc.vic.gov.au

I was very surprised, delighted, and relieved that they withdraw the infringement, no questions asked.

Regards,

Matthew Vic.

Dear Aussie Speeding Fines

I am writing this email to thank you for the wonderful job you guys are doing to help stop the criminal act that is occurring on our roads with unjust fines for motorists.

You have so far saved me over $8000 in road fines, speeding fines, red light camera fines and more.

I wasnโ€™t sure what to do but purchasing your package and CD it gave me so much information and confidence.

And the added bonus of being able to email you and you guys getting straight back to me gave me the confidence to send through the letters and I never heard from these criminals again.

I have been recommending you to every single person I can talk to about what you do and I would recommend everyone purchase the Aussie speeding fines booklet and CD, it will save you thousands!

It did me!

Thanks Again

David – Qld

Thanks Guys.

Had an appeal in the Dist Court BNE today against an order made by a MAG at Southport Court from a couple of months ago.ย  I won!

Now it’s been ordered to retrial back at Southport with a different MAG.

Back to the attack dogs.

The Judge all bit said I was railroaded by the MAG at Southport.

I can’t believe the difference between a MAG Court and a District Court. The District actually feels as though they care about the law, Commonwealth Acts and a fair trial.

The Judge today actually listened to me when I quoted the NMA and the constitution. I asked if they were relevant and he said yes.

I’m going to get the transcript from today and I’ll forward you a copy as the Judge took great care in his summing up quoting, what I think, are very relevant cases that I will refer to – and probably helpful for others.

Anyway, don’t like my chances back at the MAG court.

Thanks again.

Cheers

Rob – QLD

G’day Guys,

Trust you are well.

We had a SPER charge dismissed yesterday.

Joey my son 25 and with Auditory and Visual memory neurological issues that the court would not recognize since the report was 12 years old. So proud of him for standing up and having a go.

Walked in well prepared. Plenty of folders and me as the McKenzie Friend.

Objected to the fact that our discovery was not adhered to the Magictrate says that she takes “Judicial Notice” of the Acts as valid and authorised.

Objected to the recording when they tried to play it on the grounds that it was incomplete without any caution. Tick thrown out…

Cross examined the Cop. Asked him if he remembered his oath. Couldn’t recall it after 26 years. Showed him a copy and he said it was something like that but couldn’t recall.

Asked him how many RBTs he had done on the night estimated 100

Asked him how many were positive . Objected to on relevancy so moved on.

Asked him how often he confiscated licences after an RBT has been complied with.

100 % of all HGV, 40% Cars and 100 % bikes…..

Why 100 % of bikes? in my experience they have the most likely licence issue…….( no probable cause apart from his bias to bikes)

When you arrested me did you advise me of my rights?

I did not arrest you…

Was I free to go?

Yes I suppose, I never arrested you.

So when you had my licence I was free to go but when you brought it back I was no longer freeto ride off.

I knew you were suspended then.

The case was estimated to take an hour by the Prosecutor. We were already an hour in…..

Prosecutor offered Sper Registrar delegation paperwork and Sper Contact sheet as evidence.

Interesting thing Magistrate read every page and authority and asked the prosecutor some questions in relation to the SPER delegation paperwork. She became confused and started hunting her laptop.

This was over the top of us and we could not follow the issues but we have recording of the summation being transcribed and will send it to you. After a few seconds silence as everyone waited for her to answer the question I started clicking my pen top…. click, click, click, click, lol my son knows I don’t fidget and knew I was playing.

She couldn’t take it anymore and asked for a short recess……

Next thing shes on her mobile sending out an SOS.ย 5 minutes later a very Senior Prosecutor appears and has a word.

Court resumes and Magistrate still not confident about the answer from the prosecution re delegation authority but she will investigate further in chambers.

Joey takes stand plains that this is all due to a single digit error in his address and he had never received anything from Police or SPER. Prosecutor confused everyone by going thru the SPER contact log since she was trying to say he must have known since he had a SPER account. He explained that this was from a previous infringement and sent to his previous address which was correct. She couldn’t grasp that but gave up eventually with him reconfirming at every opportunity that this was all due to an honest mistake of fact.

Another senior prosecutor enters the court and approaches the one running the case and starts to whisper in her ear. Joey objects and the cop is told to sit down. He sits down long enough that his ego allowed his legs to slink him out of the court….

Joey makes reference to DPP V Hamilton, Regina v Banner etc. All of no apparent interest since not Qld. Magistrate did allow him to finish them tho.

Now 3 hours in and back at 2.30 for the result.

Prepped both ways win or lose.

Won due to a “technicality”, asked for costs Magistrate, asked under what grounds.

We explained the costs etc however she needed grounds.

I suggested that Joey ask for an example…. lol

Well she couldn’t give legal advice she read the Magistrates act.

We attempted an argument which she listened to but dismissed.

Walking out said good bye to prosecutor and she said. Good luck you crazy guys.

I said I will see you soon. She said I hope not, I assured her she will….. ( another charge for speeding in a few weeks)

Great fun. No fear.

So a couple of things

We had a load of paper and had followed the 3 steps. We objected at every opportunity, we used their time and looked relaxed.

This is a game of poker. They saw we were serious and that the retrial would be even more serious. They had already spend 9 hours in Court over numerous days and arguments.

Did they really want us backkkk.

I believe that the easy way out was to blame SPER for paperwork cock up and move us on never to darken the door step again.

We are considering having a go for wrongful arrest.

Many thanks for your help and encouragement

Kindest Regards,

John – QLD

Hi Guys,

Last week I had a success at the Magistrates court defending a parking fine. The case was delayed just under 12 months by using some the techniques outlined by the know your rights group, the Aussie speeding fine book and generally outlining to the council the error of their ways.

I attend court for the โ€œmentionโ€ and made myself comfortable in the public gallery whilst waiting for the Magistrate. A lawyer assisting the prosecuting lawyer roamed the room asking each defendant about their case. After about 15 mins the lawyer who asked the original questions returned and approached all of the defendants apart from myself and another person indicating that their case had been struck out and they are free to go.

The lesson for everyone here is, always take your case to court, you do not know what may happen and to the surprise of many they departed without paying a fine. Who knows, the prosecuting lawyer must have wanted to go home early that day.ย  By the way, whilst I was in court waiting I would talk to all defendants letting them know that they can claim court costs if they win their case, everyone was unaware, therefore I suggest that if people attend court they should inform their fellow defendants that they can claim court costs which would force council to re think sending people to court.

Back to the case, whilst waiting the clerk of the courts was handing the case documents to the Magistrate and was re-affirming which cases had been struck out. To my surprise my name was mentioned whereby I stood up and asked the Magistrate to clarify if my case had been struck out as I had not been informed. The Magistrate asked me to appear at the bench and questioned the prosecuting lawyer who said that my case was struck out by mistake, however he is happy not worry about it and have it strike it out.

This was music to my ears, I then asked the Magistrate that I would like to claim costs in dealing with the council and my time at court. Once the prosecuting lawyer heard this he backtracked and told the magistrate he was reconsidering the strike out. The Magistrate then proceeded to adjourn the court and asked that the prosecuting lawyer and I discuss what we would like to do. Of course the Magistrate should not have given the lawyer the opportunity to backtrack and should have awarded me costs, just another example of a corrupt system. Lesson to all, if the prosecuting lawyer strikes out your case then ask if his decision is final, this would have stopped the prosecutor from retracting his strikeout.ย 

Back to my case, I had a discussion with the lawyer and decided to accept the strike without claiming costs which was a win but not the full win I was looking for.ย  I did this because I could not be bothered attending court again and I thought maybe there is a way to claim costs since this is a strike out from the prosecutor.

Thank you for your help along the way with this and all cases.

Regards

Nick

Hi ASF,

Just wanted to let you know of another success story due to your diligence and hard work..

My wife was fined for overstaying the allotted time (3hrs) in a Woolworths carpark.ย  I took the first step to objecting to the alleged penalty notice as directed by ASF, passed 28 days, so sent off the 2nd letter.ย  Received a response from the SDRO advising that โ€˜penalty notices are issued for regulatory breaches and the amount owing is in satisfaction of a statutory liability under the Fines Act and related legislationโ€™.ย  โ€˜We will not be responding to other material of this natureโ€™.

This is obviously referring to the highly detailed information within your letters.ย  โ€˜As you accepted responsibility for the vehicle you will receive a penalty notice in your name and if you wish to dispute the fine further, you can request to have it decided in a court blah blah blah.ย  So I requested to have the penalty decided in court by way of completing the form, not signing it, and sending it through with your letter as my written request to have a matter heard in court of competent jurisdiction.

Get called up for my time in court, which was just the โ€˜mentionโ€™ and before anyone saying a word, I asked the Magistrate if this court conforms to Chapter III of the Commonwealth Constitution Act 1900 as confirmed by the High Court pursuant to the โ€˜Forge v ASICโ€™ determination?ย  Straight away you could see I had them on the back foot.

I asked if this was a criminal case.ย  โ€˜No, quasi-criminalโ€™.ย  Being the first time representing myself, I was shaking in my boots as the Magistrate asked me again what I was putting forward in my defence.ย  I again responded with the above determination.ย  Magistrate believed she had no idea of this determination and wanted to take a break to research it.ย  I explained that there was no need as this this was only a mention, but also wanted to advise the Council Prosecutor that when we return for the court date, that they prove to the court that local councils are recognised as local government and had the authority to give penalty notices and fines.

I advised that by way of referendums in 1974 and 1988, when put to the public to recognise local councils as a tier of government, that this was โ€˜not carriedโ€™, therefore not enacted into the Constitution.ย  Again, they looked dumbfounded, went straight to their diaryโ€™s to find an acceptable date for the next hearing (mind you, without asking me if the date was OK), I was given a date and that was it.

Not once did I call the Magistrate โ€˜your honourโ€™, only maโ€™am, as I did not consent to their jurisdiction.ย  If it came to that I would have first asked her one question.ย  โ€˜Are you acting under your oath of office at this time?โ€™.ย  This would have put her under her Constitutional right.

One week later, I received a letter from the Council advising that this has been reviewed and will be cancelled.ย  โ€˜Please note that having regard to the circumstances, Council has decided to withdraw the above penalty noticeโ€™.

Of course they wonโ€™t give you a reason as this would open up a can of worms, but you just have to be adamant and confident in taking these leeches right through to the end.ย  This was only for a $108 parking fine.

Things to remember are to keep all documentation, send everything registered post, do your research and ensure you send off an affidavit to the court co-ordinator with copies of all your documentation before your hearing date.

Sorry for the long story, but wanted to give you the bigger picture.ย  If you need anything further from my experience, please let me know.

Kind regards,

Aaron – A Happy ASF Member

Hi ASF,

Another success since I last wrote to you. I was pulled over for speeding less than 10 over the limit, spoke as you suggest by the roadside – not saying much except for polite denials. I wrote to suggest a review but they didn’t take the suggestion so I took it to court.

The police statement simply said ‘the accused stated he wasn’t speeding’. On mention day I heard laughter and swearing from the prosecutorโ€™s office, then they called me in to tell me they were withdrawing because the police officer had resigned.

I am sure I’ve seen her attempting to extort more revenue from other drivers since though.

Thanks in advance,

Andrew

Hi Guys,

Went to the Moorabbin Court and agued with the Council … they withdrew the No Standing charge due to poor signage (clear cut).ย  Never proceeded to the Magistrate.

He tied to argue that technically the sign was right but would now raise the matter with the council who will review the situation for the benefit of the public.

LOL.

Thanks Guys!

I work in IT – have done so for approx. 27 years now.

I personally think you and the other sites are doing great work!

It’s amazing in this country – no one seems to question or challenge anything and when you speak up they look at you as if your weird.

Everyone has been so conditioned to just accept what is… so much apathy – we need to be much more like the French in our attitude but everyone is either asleep or it’s the old “she’ll be right mate” attitude.

I’ve always questioned and challenged but after an incident with a corporation in the last few years I have seen their “true colours” and have questioned everything a lot more. Thankfully I am seeing things for what they truly are but as individuals it is our journey and it is very difficult to make others to see things through our eyes.

Hopefully over the course of time more and more will wake up to what is truly going on. Others will try and remain blissfully ignorant.

Best Wishes,

Darryl

To the team at Aussie Speeding Fines,

I purchased your book a few years ago. It has been very helpful for myself and family over the years.

I have a very good example on how I avoided a fine and demerit points. I was doing 115kph on a 100kph Freeway. I went to court and defended myself with all my supporting evidence, initially the case was adjourned with no court appearance as the court legal rep said that I had little chance of winning.

When I returned to court to face the judge and police I pleaded guilty with mitigating circumstances. The judge dismissed the case with no charges whatsoever! The finer detail amazed my friends on how I managed to get off with no fine or demerit points.

Best regards,

Nigel – Vic

Hi Guys,

I had a win against the lawyer thugs who work for the Melbourne City Council in the Melbourne Magistrates Court on this Monday. Had to go the full fifteen rounds with their two lawyers over an obscured parking sign hidden by a tree that they pruned two days later.

There is currently a process by these bandits that beat normal people into submission by forcing them to plead guilty due to a very biased legal process. Had to fight them in the court for two hours and I had a lay down mozare before the magistrate found against them.

Things must change,

Diarmuid โ€“ Vic.

Hi All

In our local paper today, Townsville Bulletin, is recorded Fines issued to Townsville drivers in the 2015-16 financial year:ย ย ย  Less than 13km/hย over the speed limit – 25,321 fines – then lists the other categories with higher speeds than that.

I recently noted on the television news that thousands of motorists in Queensland who received Infringement Notices for driving at less than 13km/h and who elected to be heard in Court, had their Notices withdrawn. Over $1,000,000 not going to the Government.

This enforces your advice to always elect to be heard in Court.

Regards,

John – QLD

Hi Guys,

I recently contested an alleged 114KPh speeding fine whilst overtaking a car on a straight section of 2-way road recently.ย  I explained to the Mag. that to overtake at the 100KPh limit, say a 93KPh vehicle would mean being on the wrong side of the road for 59 seconds approx. This would be reduced by approx. 20 seconds at 104 KPh. He saw my logic, but had to uphold the law. Saved $300 by defending myself, but lost some points.

Bernd.

Hey guys. Love your work.

Since becoming a member 18 months ago haven’t paid a cent in fines. Have got 2 speed camera fines, 1 council parking fine dropped before court.

Recently had Driving with Proscribed drug in oral fluid withdrawn at the trial due to no prospect of success. They knew this from the outset but still took it to trial. At the first mention I plea not guilty and they’re stunned asking me what defence could I possibly have. I asked them to prove that the sample tested was mine and I collected my sample from SA Forensics and asked them to prove that it hasn’t been tampered with. Since that sample getting independently tested was my only means of proving my innocence, if it’s integrity wasn’t strictly guarded there was no possibility of a fair trial. I didn’t even get it tested because I thought it was more valuable as an exhibit presented exactly as it was when I received it.

When I asked for chain of custody documentation they produced a bunch of affidavits written a year after the fact. Bottom line is they don’t do anything to the standards required by their so called NATA accreditation. I would say anyone could use this defence provided they leave it open meaning don’t answer any police questions.

I actually have 1 more hearing for that regarding what costs they are willing to hand over of the $2500 I am claiming. I cannot find any case law where a self represented defendant has been the successful party and been awarded costs. According to rule 51 of magistrates court criminal rules, I clearly do qualify for a costs order but the scale the rule refers you to does not cater for my situation. It just means section 189 of summary procedures act applies meaning a wide discretion is available and should be applied instead. They know this but they adjourned to try and find a way out I think.

Also during the same incident they searched my car and found some green vegetable matter I didn’t even know was there. I had this dismissed at the second mention after submitting a motion to rule the evidence inadmissible.

Schedule 1 of the road traffic act 1961 states that returning a positive oral fluid test cannot be relied upon to exercise search powers. Since I had them on the record saying that they pulled me over with no reasonable cause to suspect anything drug related or any crime, they had nothing to support the positive OFA meaning no right to search

I also asked them to show proof that it was in fact cannabis that they found.

Anyway, minimum 3 months licence suspension, $1500 in fines plus court fees all avoided. I’m even getting them to pay for 2 night’s accommodation because at the time of the offence they suspended my licence for 24 hours as well as the $400 spent on AS 5388.1, AS 5388.2 and AS ISO/IEC 17025-2005

Cheers,

Ben – S.A.

 

Hi There,

I’d like to report a success with two of my fines.

The Speed Camera Fine I received that had inadequate signage was dismissed and the fine overturned. I attended court in Newcastle on March 17th and the Magistrateโ€™s response was, โ€œI believe that you drove to the roads conditions at the time and was not driving recklessly.โ€ I thought that was an interesting comment. I also mentioned that I wrote to the Police to request a review via the SDRO website. They said that it’s not the Police that review fines, it is the RMS (previously called the RTA).

As for the fine where I elected to go to court in my Mum’s name, this was dismissed also. It seems the letters I sent for both cases for the date that I could not attend court for the mention were effective.

Thanks again for your assistance.

Jon โ€“ NSW

 

Hi Guys,

I had my morning in court for mention, but they offered no evidence at all including the brief of evidence I was expecting to receive, so the prosecutor said they wouldn’t be pursuing the matter any further, so the magistrate informed me that was the end of the matter and that I was free to go, and to have a good day.

Only thing was that in all my excitement I forgot to consult my notes at all, and in so doing I forgot to ask for my costs, as meagre as they would have been (about $200 worth if I’d included the price of the book as well).

Thanks for making the info available, it all helped to make me stand up for myself, so much so that they dropped the matter altogether. I must add that I was innocent of any crime anyway, and had been wrongfully accused, happy with the outcome and the relief that came with it.

Thanks,

Troy.

Dear Sir

After a period of about 11 months I have heard nothing further regarding the parking fine ~ it would appear they have ceased any further action.

I would like to thank your organization for all the help and advice I received from you to allow me to beat this fine.ย  As you quoted they sent me photos of my parked car, threatened me with further fines, advised me to seek legal aid, and threatened me with court action.ย  I thanked them for their information and enquired as to when the first court appearance would be:ย  the date and the time.ย  I have had no further correspondence from them.

Once again thank you for your help and feel free to post my testimonial.ย  Well done Aussie Speeding Fines.

Kind regards,

Graham

 

Gโ€™day again,

Itโ€™s been a while and Iโ€™ve been wanting to sharing a couple of mild wins with you lot. The hand of fate and the claimed law has encouraged me to make contact again.

In the last couple of months Iโ€™ve had speeding charges withdrawn and discontinued using the ASF 3 step process.

After attending the mention hearing in Nov, claiming innocence and asking for a copy of “the strong camera evidence against meโ€ quote the magistrate. Instead of receiving the evidence I received a letter stating; “As a result of the camera operator who was in charge of this deployment resigning, WA Police is left with no alternative other for the matter to be withdrawn.”

After missing a mention hearing in Dec. I was to attend a trial in Geraldton, 9 hours north of my place, in Feb. Two weeks before the trial date, I spoke with the prosecutor via phone who checked all correspondence was there and that there was indeed a critical witness employed to appear at the trial. Interestingly because they just dropped 6 charges for this reason. The week before I received an email from the same prosecutor informing me; “I have just received advice that we will be discontinuing your speeding charge on the trial date. The reason for this is one of the critical witnesses is unavailable.โ€

In the first case I sent copies of the Private settlement agreement to: Police Commissioner, Minister for transport, Crimes and Corruption Ombudsman, etc. Second case I just sent it to the prosecution, I feel that when they got around to reading it, it was a bit too hard. Just a speculation.

I was glad to be through thatโ€ฆ Then on Sat 25 March at 8:50 I got accused of not wearing a seatbelt, by a couple of local cops, of course I was wearing a seatbelt. The officer didnโ€™t like that I chose not to consent to his accusation. he said “OK if thatโ€™s how ya want to playโ€ and pulled out the breatho and said I was required to give a sample.

He didnโ€™t know how or want to answer my request, that he provide me with legal foundation enacting the Road Traffic Act 1974 (WA) that he was quoting. He threatened to arrest me if I didnโ€™t blow. I said as far as I know Acts must be enacted via queens proclamation. Iโ€™m happy to consent to the breath test if you can provide me with the requested evidence.

I was standing on the road, when he grabbed me by the shoulder and started dragging me toward his car and cuffed me, I asked him why he was harming me unnecessarily? and I was put in the back seat of the cop car. I asked the young woman her name, “Constable Meyers”, your first name, โ€œIโ€™m not required to provide it”

Back at the lock up, in a glass cell, I was eventually un-cuffed, as they went through their memorised procedure speak. I asked what if I choose not to blow in your big breath analyser? “Immediate suspension of licence”. And if I consent? “Blow Zero and ya free to go”. I made a vocal note for their record; that Iโ€™m consenting against my will so I can get on with my day.

I had my stuff returned to me and I was given 2 copies of the Infringement Notice ($550 and 4 points) I was escorted out of the complex and sent on my way. When I enquired as to why I wasnโ€™t offered a ride back to my car. he said, “Weโ€™re not required toโ€

Later I called the Margaret River station and was diverted to Bunbury, I spoke with a helpful woman who confirmed that there was no charge against me. So I wasn’t arrested. She also said that If I refused to blow in the lock up I would not have had the license suspended but I would have received a DYI record. Guilty until proven innocent…

All power to you,

David – WA

Hi Guys,

On a happy note: My fine for another event did not eventuate despite summons to court.ย  The case was never processed by QPS

Best endorsement that the letters worked even though QPS threatened me to court by summons.

Thanks,

Amy โ€“ QLD.

โ€˜Morning my friends at the ASF,

My first win! I was happy to make you guys aware as they sent me a letter apologising and saying that the charges were withdrawn (3 multanova offences in as many weeks).

Best regards,

Andrew โ€“ S.A.

Happy New Year to the ASF Team!

Quick update on some things happening in SA.

SAPOL are not always issuing summons to alleged “criminals”. A friend was fined $560 from the Magistrates court without receiving any summons at all! He’s had a rehearing and now a pre-trial conference is set for next week.

On November 21, I was picking up my son from his work in his car. Travelling home, we had an unmarked car follow us and park across my driveway. 3 officers hopped out and started walking towards me as I got out of the car.

My first words were: “I hereby revoke the common law license permitting you to enter my property. You are now trespassing and I require you to leave the property”. The officers stepped back beyond the mail box and 1 asked for my drivers license and particulars.

My response: “Can anything I say or present to you be used against me in a court of law”?

The answer: “yes”

My response: “The I reserve my right to remain silent. Now are you going to retaliate against me for exercising my rights to silence and thereby damage me either physically, emotionally or mentally”?

The response: “lets just arrest him”

I had the 3 officers press me up against the back of the car and handcuff me. I was taken to Elizabeth Police Station and charged with driving unregistered, driving uninsured, refusing to provide particulars.

At the interview I was questioned about my particulars and I quoted Hamilton v DPP, Justice Stephen Kaye’s statement re common law and no requirement for a man to provide any information unless under arrest. The officer replied “well this is South Australia” so I asked if it was his claim that South Australia did not have common law. Silence.

Then they produced a warrant for a court date I had no idea about and had never received a summons for. The warrant stated I was not to be given bail so I was held overnight and given bail the next morning.

Yesterday was my pre-trial conference. The police prosecutor came out and handed me their brief of evidence. He was also holding my affidavits from last year. He asked if I was going to challenge all the charges to which I replied “absolutely”.

He sat down and said “if you plead guilty to the drive while suspended I’ll recommend the minimum fine”. I replied I need no conviction against me as that will affect my ability to work in the banking industry. He said we could ask the magistrate.

As usual, I was the last to be heard, prosecutor told the mag about dropping the first 3 charges and only 1 charge to be heard with minimal fine and if possible no conviction. Mag questioned me and asked why no conviction so I explained about work.

Mag then made his decision: Fine $100. No court costs. No conviction. Have a nice day.

Very very happy!

Next week I’m in pre-trial conference at the court where the “warrant” was issued. I’ve requested to inspect the court file prior to that date and now waiting on a response.

Sorry for the long email but thought I should keep you updated. Must confess I’ve never seen a prosecutor drop so many charges in 1 hit without being asked to.

Cheers,

Wayne โ€“ S.A.

HI ASF,

This is an update on my testimonial (lengthy) I wrote to you some time ago regarding a speeding fine that was dismissed on the grounds that the case exceeded the limitations period.

After the magistrate dismissed the original speeding matter on the grounds of the matter exceeding the limitations period the QPS lodged an appeal to the DC in QLD. I was not told or notified of this until receipt of a letter from the QLD DC demanding I respond to the appellantโ€™s claims which by then was 6 months past the due date. Clearly, the bureaucracy has no limits.

Having submitted my defence, I attended court on the hearing date. The magistrate and the court house had different hearing times and I was an hour late. The magistrate apologised for her mistake even though I found out they were going to issue an arrest warrant.

The prosecution claimed that my defence was not in the prescribed manner and therefore I could not present my evidence for defence in court. I told the magistrate what were the grounds of the objection. The magistrate answered on behalf of the prosecution and I pointed out to her that the objection was incorrect because I had stated very clearly in writing what my objection was and referred to the page and paragraph in my submission. Obviously, it appears that the magistrate had not carefully and dutifully read my defence and simply relied upon the reams of paperwork the prosecution was handing the magistrate in court. Again, the magistrate apologised. The system is definitely designed against defendants for traffic offences.

The magistrate then began to read the paperwork handed up by the prosecution more carefully and pointed out some discrepancies. She also noted that the matter was appealed in the DC in favour of the QPS – IE my original win was overturned. However, I asked the DC judge to refer the matter back to the magistrates court as I had not as yet presented my defence for the alleged speeding fine. The DC ruling was on a matter of law not a full hearing of the speeding case. The magistrate thought this to be really strange. I must say even though I lost the DC appeal case the judge appeared to be on my side to the extent that he gave his own personal experience with receiving a traffic fine and SPER action and understood my โ€œfrustrationโ€ with the system as it is. Please note, the judge did not ask me to reimburse the $550 the QPS paid for my costs in the original magistrateโ€™s decision. THE DC judge warned the prosecution that not seeking reimbursement would be a good idea. They complied.

The magistrate told me how I should have proceeded with the current hearing for her to dismiss the case โ€“ interesting. However, since I did not do that she had difficulty on how to run the case since if I win she was sure the QPS would appeal again. The magistrate clearly identified the enormous cost of this case already.

The magistrate asked if I agreed to proceed with my defence on the basis of the irregularities she identified in the prosecutionโ€™s paperwork just handed up to her. I refused because I wanted to test the ASF arguments. She asked me what these were and I referred her back to my defence document on the court file as required under TORUM. She immediately said I would not win on the basis of NMA since the QLD appeals court have already made a judgement on this in Crabbe v QPS (2013) and the prosecution would be relying upon this. I said I had opposing cases from superior courts that says otherwise. The magistrate ignored this comment.

The above and other general discussion ensured until the magistrate said if I accepted to pay the court levy costs ($117 from memory) she would dismiss the case without recording a conviction. I accepted since the hearing had now gone on for 3 hours and I could see the magistrate was getting rather uncomfortable with what my arguments were going to be.

Prior to accepting the offer, I stated that I had a number of questions I wished to ask the court before proceeding with my defence since I was not a lawyer and was defending myself. The first question I asked the magistrate was whether I was entitled to a fair trial under Human Rights and Equal Opportunities Act (cth) 1986. The magistrate said she thought that would be a very interesting approach knowing that for traffic offences you are guilty until proven innocent in most States.

I said that these arguments and my questions will take considerable court time if we were to proceed. The magistrate stated that she would be prepared to sit for as long as it took if I chose to do so. Unfortunately, it was now well into the early afternoon and I had a golf game booked which was more important than this ridiculous court case

I accepted the magistrateโ€™s offer and she immediately made her ruling and bolted before I could change my mind.

Sorry, about the length of this email however there are some important points and judge/magistrate reflections/insights that ASF members may find helpful.

This matter commenced in 2012 and finalised in late 2015 after 5 court appearances, 2 magistrates hearings and an appeal the cost of which far exceeded the original traffic offence of $133.00 as noted by the magistrate.

QLD โ€“ Ed