Judges and magistrates guilty of flouting speed laws
LEADFOOT judges and magistrates are racking up dozens of speeding fines in their taxpayer-funded cars.
Law & Order
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LEADFOOT judges and magistrates are racking up dozens of speeding fines in their taxpayer-funded cars.
A judicial car nabbed at 17km/h over the limit in a 50km/h zone, and another booked at 15km/h over in a 40km/h zone, are among the worst offences.
Lapses of judgment in cars assigned to the state’s magistrates and judges were most common on weekends, with a spike at Sunday lunchtimes.
The Sunday Herald Sun used Freedom of Information laws to obtain copies of infringement notices in cases where Supreme Court and County Court judges and magistrates were nominated drivers.
The heavily redacted documents reveal that cars assigned to Victoria’s judicial officers — many of whom preside over cases of speeding and other dangerous driving — flout the law twice a week on average.
There were 39 fines in the five months to October 31.
Court Services Victoria removed identifying details but there were several apparent repeat offenders.
Three cars assigned to County Court judges accrued multiple fines, including one vehicle that racked up four.
Two Supreme Court judges’ cars notched up two fines. No magistrates were pinged for multiple tickets.
Three drivers were booked for running red lights, with one breezing through an intersection two seconds after the light changed.
Two tickets were issued within five minutes of each other on Sunday, August 9 — one for running a red light at 1.15pm and another for a detected speed of 118km/h in a 110km/h zone. Six drivers were booked for speeding between 10km/h and 24km/h over the limit, attracting a $303 fine and three demerits. Another 29 were nabbed at up to 10km/h over the limit.
Drivers personally incur the penalties and demerit points attached to breaches in government vehicles.
The tally of fines does not include instances where judges or magistrates were personally fined for failing to wear seatbelts, drink-driving, using mobiles or other offences.
The judicial officer responsible for each car was not necessarily the driver at the time of the infringement as other family members can be authorised to use the government vehicles.
CSV does not collect details of any personal driving offences or fines.
The information obtained by the Sunday Herald Sun only revealed speeding, red light or toll offences caught on cameras and sent to CSV, as it holds the registration details of judicial cars.
Victoria Police Chief Commissioner Graham Ashton recently admitted being detected speeding on the Peninsula Link freeway.