Gavin Sedgmen: Former Mildura councillor contests speeding charge

A former Mildura councillor is contesting allegations he travelled 68 km/h over the speed limit while he held the “community safety” portfolio.

Former Mildura councillor Gavin Sedgmen.

Former Mildura councillor Gavin Sedgmen plans to contest a charge he travelled 68 km/h over the speed limit while he was the council’s community safety spokesman.

Sedgmen was before Mildura Magistrates’ Court by video link on Tuesday.

Police allege Sedgmen was travelling at 148 km/h in an 80 km/h zone in February last year.

Sedgmen’s lawyer Bert Hilton-Wood said his client disputed the speed that was recorded.

Mr Hilton-Wood said the device used to capture the speed was not at issue, but rather whether it was operated correctly.

Police said a laser device was used to record Sedgmen’s speed.

The court was told when Sedgmen was asked at the scene how fast he thought he was going, his response was: “I don’t know, it seemed excessive.”

Sedgmen was elected to Mildura Council on a countback after the death of Cr Max Thorburn.

He was sworn in at a council meeting in late November 2018.

At that meeting he was also given the community safety portfolio.

Less than a month before his charge, Sedgmen as community safety councillor was quoted in a Mildura Council media release titled “Drivers urged to obey traffic rules as school returns”.

Sedgmen again ran for election in 2020, but was not returned to office after finishing 16th on first-preference votes in a field of 18 candidates.

The matter was scheduled for a contested hearing on February 22.