Gavin Sedgmen: Former Mildura councillor convicted over speeding

A former Mildura councillor who was caught speeding past a school has been handed a punishment that will have a “devastating effect” on him.

Gavin Sedgmen

A former Mildura councillor has been convicted of speeding past a school at a time when he was in charge of the council’s “community safety” portfolio.

At Mildura Magistrates’ Court on Monday, Merbein man Gavin Phillip Sedgmen, 55, pleaded not guilty to a charge of driving at an alleged speed of 148km/h in an 80km/h zone

Sedgmen was driving on Seventeenth St in Cabarita just after 5am on February 25 in 2019, while a police vehicle was parked near a school.

Senior Constable Hayden Smith told the court he was in the police car’s passenger seat operating a radar device.

He said Sedgmen’s silver Holden Commodore ute was detected travelling at 150km/h while 420m away from his police vehicle.

A further recording at a distance of 170m returned a speed of 151km/h.

Senior Constable Jesse Litchfield, the driver of the police car, told the court he estimated Sedgmen’s car to be travelling “at least 140 km/h”.

Sedgmen’s lawyer Graeme Davis questioned the officers on whether signage, sign posts, reflective edge markers and lamp posts may have interfered with the device’s reading.

Sedgmen said he went back to the scene the following day, taking a photo from where he believed the police car was parked.

He also counted the “numerous obstacles” he believed would have been in the line of sight for the radar device.

Sen-Constable Smith said he was qualified to operate the radar device, which he had checked earlier that morning.

He said during the time Sedgmen’s speed was being recorded the tone of the device was constant, indicating there hadn’t been interference.

Asked what would happen if the device became pointed at a static object, Sen-Constable Smith replied: “It would come up with the target but there would be no speed attributed to it.”

Sedgmen said he believed he was travelling a “normal highway speed” and had told an officer of the morning of the incident it was “about 100”.

Police presented evidence of Sedgmen saying the speed “seemed excessive”.

Magistrate Michael Coghlan took into account the fact there were two recordings of Sedgmen’s speed, as well as an estimate from the officer in the driver’s seat that it was at least 140km/h.

Mr Coghlan determined the speed recording device had been used in accordance with regulations.

He said there was no evidence this hadn’t been the case other than speculation.

Mr Davis said a loss of licence would have a “devastating effect” on Sedgmen’s employment with a local government recycling contractor.

Sedgmen’s licence was suspended for 12 months and he was fined $550 with conviction.

Sedgmen was elected to Mildura Rural City Council on a countback to fill a vacancy in late 2018 and was given the community safety portfolio.

He was not re-elected last year.