AFL star Jason Akermanis fails in bid to have speeding fine overturned

Jason Akermanis says he’s learnt a lot about the legal process after spending three long years trying to fight a 140km/h speeding ticket, using excuses like the weather and dodgy equipment.

Former AFL star Jason Akermanis at court on March 11. Picture: David Clark

Former AFL star Jason Akermanis says he has learnt a lot after navigating Queensland’s court system to fight a speeding ticket that finally ended in defeat.

The Brownlow medallist, 48, was charged with driving at 141km/h on a 100km/h section of the Cunningham Hwy, west of Ipswich, while overtaking on May 22 in 2022.

He has been doggedly fighting the ticket ever since insisting he wasn’t driving that fast and on Tuesday launched an application for leave to appeal in Queensland highest court.

This followed a $1500 fine and six-month licence suspension handed down in Ipswich Magistrates Court in 2023 and an unsuccessful appeal in the District Court last year.

Lawyer Paddy O’Donnell, working pro-bono and representing Akermanis on Tuesday morning, sought the Court of Appeal to overturn the previous decision.

Jason Akermanis in action during his AFL days with the Brisbane Lions.

Mr O’Donnell argued it was not possible to draw the inference that the Lidar speed gun used to detect his client speeding had been properly operated and that insufficient weight had been placed on evidence about the poor weather at the time of the incident and its effect on the accuracy of the Lidar.

However Court of Appeal president Debra Mullins said these matters had been canvassed in the lower courts.

“Just because you put in contrary evidence based on an expert report where the judicial officer has to make a decision between two experts, that is a matter for judgment for the judicial officer,” she said.

Leave to appeal was refused.

Outside court Akermanis, a former Brisbane Bears and Brisbane Lions player, said he had learnt a lot about the legal process along the way.

Jason Akermanis says he learnt a lot from his court appearance. Picture: David Clark

“All that information that we have two and a half years, nearly three years on, then I have no doubt that we would have had a great opportunity to sort of get the result in our favour because it’s one km an hour in the end,” he said.

“I can’t thank Paddy enough.

“You move forward.”