Mum falls foul of speed camera on fast-food trip

Dec 3 2008 by Sam Wood, The Journal

A HUNGRY mother was caught speeding twice in three minutes, 23 seconds, by the same camera – and found time to stop for a McDonald’s in between.

On August 22, Gill Whitmore was twice clocked by a mobile camera going at 38mph in a 30 zone on Ryhope Road in Sunderland.

She had travelled a distance of around three-quarters of a mile up and down the road and bought a snack at the Drive Thru hatch in three minutes, 23 seconds, according to the police speed gun.

Miss Whitmore, a single mother from Waldron Square, Hendon, Sunderland, says she will contest the tickets and points.

She already has six points on her licence and would be banned if both the speeding tickets were confirmed.

She is planing to see a solicitor next week to discuss the case.

The 45-year-old, who works as a kitchen assistant at South Moor Secondary School, said: “It is just impossible that I could have driven that distance and been to McDonald’s in that amount of time.

“I had nipped out to get some food for my kids and then I decided to get a sausage and egg McMuffin from McDonald’s.

“A week later I got a letter with two speeding fines. It seems funny to me that they were exactly the same speed as well. I think the camera was faulty.

“The manager has confirmed I went to the Drive Thru that morning and I still have the receipt.

“I need my car to get around and I am prepared to take this all the way to court. If it had just been one ticket I would have accepted it and taken the points but the fact they are so close together makes it impossible for both to have been me.”

Her case has been taken up by Neil Herron, who has tested the route with the equipment designed by Dr Phillip Tann, whose speeding case was dropped by Sunderland magistrates last year.

Mr Herron said: “We have retraced the journey at least half a dozen times using GPS technology to record our speed and the best time we have managed to get is five minutes, 48 seconds.

“To do the route in that time she would have had to drive across verges, cut across islands and speed around the Drive Thru. It is just not possible that she could have got both of those tickets legitimately, unless it is the fastest fast-food restaurant in the world.”

But last night Jeremy Forsberg, of the Northumbria Safer Roads Initiative, which is responsible for the speed cameras, said he stood by the accuracy of the equipment.

He said: “No one has successfully challenged a speed camera in the courts in Northumbria as far as I’m aware. I am totally confident that these cameras work.

“If it goes to court, first we will use the judgment of the officer and then we will rely on the evidence of the camera.

“I can’t comment on the length of time between the two photos but these cameras record speed accurately.”

Last night Oliver Mishcon, a specialist motoring lawyer, said: “This case is another example of how speed cameras are failing to do their job properly.

“Experience and research are beginning to show that they are unreliable at calculating speed.”