Judge dismisses go safe speed van prosecutions

A local judge has dismissed all 'Go Safe' speed van prosecutions before a court in Monaghan yesterday, Wednesday, December 3.

Judge Sean MacBride moved to dismiss all such cases before the recent sitting of Monaghan District Court, in a move which may have significant implications for speeding cases nationwide.

The local judge, who sits in counties Cavan and Monaghan dismissed all 17 prosecutions before the court after stating that he believed “the chain of evidence” in speed van cases coming to court “was inherently flawed”, adding there were “defects in the serving of the summonses.”

Judge MacBride declared from the bench that he would subsequently be dismissing all such cases in his court area.

The charges against defendants before the court had arisen as a result of detections mad eby “Go Safe” vans which are operated by private company, Road Safety Operations (Ireland).

“Go Safe” speed detection vans are distinct from the garda operated “Gatso” vans.

Inspector John Joseph McDonald, of the Garda Fixed Penalty Office in Thurles, in whose name all Go Safe prosecutions are pursued, travelled to the Monaghan court to give evidence.

His appearance follows a decision made by Judge MacBride at an earlier court hearing to defer his decision on all such matters until such time as Inspector McDonald could be present in court to clarify the process through which ‘Go Safe’ prosecutions were administered.

Judge MacBride further remarked that ‘Go Safe’ vans often operated just inside or outside 30 kph speed zones, in places where detecting speed offences was like fishing in a “goldfish bowl”.

He added that the ‘Go Safe’ operation was, as he saw it, actually “bringing the law into disrepute”.