Question: I was charged with failing to stop at a stop sign. The sign was about 10 m from the intersection, and while I did stop, i didn’t stop at the intersection. Under one HTA, if there is no line at the stop sign, you must stop at the inersection. Most people don’t know that, and as such, many have been ticketed. I went to trial and lost, which resulted in losing 3 demerit points. I want the points back, and would like to appeal. Is it worth it?
Answer: If a matter is going to trial, it is important to hire a paralegal to represent your interests. A licenced paralegal will be trained in the law and Court procedure, as well as know what to say (and perhaps more importantly, what not to say) to provide the best odds of winning the trial. By admitting before the Court that you had stopped before the intersection itself, you admitted guilt to the offence. An appeal must be based on an error of fact, or an error in law. Appeals are unfortunately not an avenue to have a second trial if you are unhappy with the outcome of the first and it sounds like there are no valid grounds for an appeal in your matter. Appeals can be costly and time consuming. In this case, you may unfortunately be stuck with the conviction.
Sincerely,
Greg Currie
Office Manager, London