Former Guardian editor Alan Rusbridger complained about “unfair” delays in police speeding prosecutions as he was himself convicted of breaking a 20mph limit.
The 71-year-old journalist and author, who now edits Prospect magazine, was pursued by the Metropolitan Police over a speeding incident in Tufnell Park, north London last June.
Rusbridger’s electric Hyundai Ioniq was clocked at 25mph on Junction Road at 7.41am on June 10 last year, activating an automatic speed camera.
This month, he pleaded guilty to the offence through the Single Justice Procedure (SJP), and was ordered to pay more than £1,000 in fines and court fees.
In a letter to the magistrate, Rusbridger had some choice words about the efficiency of the prosecution.
“The only thing I would like to point out is that the alleged offence happened on June 6, and I was not notified of it until December 4 (a letter posted on December 2).
“That’s very nearly six months afterwards.
“I believe I am right in saying that there is normally a six-month limit on SJP prosecutions.
“It feels unfair to a driver to expect them to remember what speed they were driving at five months & three weeks previously.
“I feel I have no option in the circumstances but to plead guilty.”
Court papers show Rusbridger was written to by police on June 14 last year, and he replied to confirm he was the driver of the Hyundai on the day of the incident.
The Metropolitan Police told the court Rusbridger was offered a fixed penalty fine in September to deal with the offence, he paid the money but is said to have “failed to provide their licence details for electronic endorsement”. As a result, the fine was refunded and a court prosecution began, the force said.
At Lavender Hill magistrates court last week, Rusbridger was handed three penalty points for his licence, he must pay a £692 fine, costs of £100, and a £277 victim surcharge.
The case was dealt with behind-closed-doors, with a single magistrate accepting the guilty plea and deciding on the sentence based on the written prosecution evidence together with Rusbridger’s plea and mitigation letter.
Speeding is a summary-only offence, with thousands each week being dealt with in magistrates courts across England and Wales. Police forces must bring charges against defendants within six months of an alleged incident for the case to be valid.
It is commonplace for prosecution letters to be sent out just days before the expiry of the six-month period.
Rusbridger was editor of The Guardian between 1995 and 2015. He went on to become principal at Lady Margaret Hall at the University of Oxford, and from 2021 has been editing Prospect magazine.
