AN ongoing saga over an alleged speeding detection by a GoSafe van operator in the village of Kilkerrin took another twist when it came again before Tuam District Court.
Padraic Collins, Scregg, Kilkerrin, Ballinasloe insists that he could not possibly have broken the 50kph village speed limit in place from a standing start, as is claimed by the GoSafe operator.
He said he pulled out from a premises 25 metres from where the van was operating He was aware it was there and he was only going a short distance before he turned down the Graveyard Rd.
His BMW was only capable of going from 0 to 60kph in 7.6 seconds and he didn’t travel the distance to get higher than the 50kph speed limit.
He produced documentation which he told Judge James Faughnan would support his case and offered to present this to him.
However, the Judge told him that it was prosecuting Garda Sgt Christy Brown that needed to see this, not him.
On examining the documents Sgt Brown said: “All this is is a Google map with a couple of squiggles drawn on it.”
He added that Collins had drawn a square on the map to indicate the premises where he said he was coming from. However, he added “there’s a lot of road behind that square.”
But he pointed out that the premises in question was Mee’s pub and if the pub CCTV was available it might clarify where Collins started his journey and this might be presented as independent evidence.
Judge Faughnan thought this was a good idea but Sgt Brown said that the onus was on the defendant’s solicitor to source this evidence, not the Gardaí.
The case was adjourned until the September 8 sitting to allow time for the defence to check for CCTV footage from the pub.
