I then got nicked by a ‘hobby bobby’ (Special Constable). He was not too happy with my suggestion that he wasn’t a proper policeman; he said my riding was shocking and shouted at me.

I now have a court summons for dangerous driving. I accept I rode my motorbike the wrong way down a one-way road, but no-one was there apart from two cars who pulled out of the way – so no harm done. Also the policeman shouldn’t have shouted at me and I want the court to know that. Can I defend this?

Answer

Firstly, the ‘hobby bobby’ as you call him is a ‘proper policeman’, whatever you say. He was well within his rights to nick you in my view. You have been an imbecile by riding the wrong way along a one-way road. It’s lucky no one got hurt. It is completely illegal and textbook ‘dangerous driving’ on your own evidence. The only ‘takeaway’ that will be happening will be that of your licence.

Dangerous driving carries with it at least a compulsory 12 month disqualification. You should be pleading guilty and putting forward mitigation to try and obtain the most lenient sentence possible.

Andrew ‘Chef’ Prendergast

On 2 Wheels June 2018