Simon852
New Member
Hello. I am wondering whether to bother getting a solicitor for a pending court case.
I am a touring musician and played a gig recently, after which I stupidly drank two 5% cans of cider over an hour, drove 125 miles and more stupidly had another cider after about 2 hours thinking I'd be OK. I normally eat after gigs but had an empty stomach as the food I took from the venue was disgusting - it had been left out all night and I couldn't manage it - I wish I had now(!) At 500 yards from home I was pulled over by a patrol car (51mg in breath). Spent night in cell, charged etc. Co-operated fully, what else would anyone do anyway?!
This will prove devastating to work and family. My band are fully booked throughout the UK 'til 2015 and I don't know how I'm going to meet the dates; I am the main performer in the band and the gigs have been booked on the strength of me being in the line-up. My car is essential in my work, as band members live all over England. I have recently been under huge stress with health issues, plus recent stress of moving home twice in 9 months, which sparked my occasional drinking having stopped altogether in 2012.
QUESTIONS:
1) Does a drink-driving offence stand any chance of worthwhile mitigation if the defendant was, or had recently been, taking prescribed oral steroids, antibiotics, and steroid inhalers for severe chest/asthma problems at the time of offence?
2) If I defend/mitigate for myself, is there a limit to how long I speak or is it up to me?
3) When submitting figures for Legal Aid or to the magistrates relative to the fine I will receive, do I have to give last year's figures or should I give current figures, or projected figures seeing as I am likely to lose my livelihood through this? It seems that I will qualify if so.
4)I am concerned about the disclosure of my address at court relating to newspaper reporters . I live in a Park - my house is the only house in the park (ex-Park-keeper's Lodge) and as a fairly well-known musician and performer I would like to keep this detail private, more importantly to protect my family from possible undesirable elements in the park. Can I request to the court/reporters that in any news item, my address relates to the adjoining road (Royal Mail do officially have this on the address) and leave the actual House out of it?
Many thanks for your time, Simon
I am a touring musician and played a gig recently, after which I stupidly drank two 5% cans of cider over an hour, drove 125 miles and more stupidly had another cider after about 2 hours thinking I'd be OK. I normally eat after gigs but had an empty stomach as the food I took from the venue was disgusting - it had been left out all night and I couldn't manage it - I wish I had now(!) At 500 yards from home I was pulled over by a patrol car (51mg in breath). Spent night in cell, charged etc. Co-operated fully, what else would anyone do anyway?!
This will prove devastating to work and family. My band are fully booked throughout the UK 'til 2015 and I don't know how I'm going to meet the dates; I am the main performer in the band and the gigs have been booked on the strength of me being in the line-up. My car is essential in my work, as band members live all over England. I have recently been under huge stress with health issues, plus recent stress of moving home twice in 9 months, which sparked my occasional drinking having stopped altogether in 2012.
QUESTIONS:
1) Does a drink-driving offence stand any chance of worthwhile mitigation if the defendant was, or had recently been, taking prescribed oral steroids, antibiotics, and steroid inhalers for severe chest/asthma problems at the time of offence?
2) If I defend/mitigate for myself, is there a limit to how long I speak or is it up to me?
3) When submitting figures for Legal Aid or to the magistrates relative to the fine I will receive, do I have to give last year's figures or should I give current figures, or projected figures seeing as I am likely to lose my livelihood through this? It seems that I will qualify if so.
4)I am concerned about the disclosure of my address at court relating to newspaper reporters . I live in a Park - my house is the only house in the park (ex-Park-keeper's Lodge) and as a fairly well-known musician and performer I would like to keep this detail private, more importantly to protect my family from possible undesirable elements in the park. Can I request to the court/reporters that in any news item, my address relates to the adjoining road (Royal Mail do officially have this on the address) and leave the actual House out of it?
Many thanks for your time, Simon
