Due to an ongoing case - we,ahem, borrowed a Laserlyte Hand Held
laser gun for some pre-trial research using one of our expert witnesses. This today has provided endless entertainment (in a suitable location of course - approved by local cops !). I have learnt such a lot today about how they are clibrated etc. This had a very serious side to it of course, but one myth was well and truely exploded - CDs in the windscreen have no effect..... I will tell you more once the case has been to Court.
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Have you tried aiming it at a wall yet, PU? I seem to remember that a case collapsed a while ago when the defendant was able to show that it gave a positive reading when aimed at a stationary object...
BTW, how are they calibrated?
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Wow! Expert witness, borrowing a Laserlyte, your time, you must have a very wealthy client or a poor one about to be become even poorer! I hope it works out OK and proves worth the effort.
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Or could the taxpayer be picking up the tab ?
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Well, believe it or not aiming it at a wall is all part of its daily calibration (along a digitally calibrated 80m). Client pleads not guilty paying himself.
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My time wasn't totted up into the equation - I just wanted to see how it works !
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Good for you Pugugly ! It looks like your client has himself a very good brief.
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We have`nt had an update on the 530d lately PU, - hope you are`nt too disappointed after your enjoyment of the 330d ???
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PU
Presumably the device is Home Office Approved?
If this is the case then it will have been more than rigourously tested and I doubt you will be able to fault its mechanism. Fault, if any, may well lie with the Operator.
If its a battery pack, then allow the battery to reach low. Switch on with it in the down position and flick up fast. Do you get a reading? This was a fault years ago with the Muniquip since rectified. PC demonstated the device at a Court in Cleveland having assured the Magistrates there was no possibility of erroneous readings and the above happened. Case dismissed. Doubt you will be so lucky.
Your 'experts' bill? £400 plus?
DVD.
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The whole crux here is "use in accordance with maker's instructions" I don't want to detail the case at this stage (in case th CPS are watching !). It is HO approved and an identical unit to the one used in the prosecution. This bit of kit appears to be pretty foolprooof and a couple of generations away from Miniquip. Another device used locally is a very old Radar set called "Typhoon" or something similar, apparantly this have more loop-holes than my tousers, these are not foolproof. I have a personal crusade to get these eliminated from the Police inventory.
The Laserlyte There is no battery pack, it takes two C size batteries. The expert is being paid of course....He should be worth it, used him many times in the past and still has credibility with the local benches, was it ever so true to say that an expert witness is only as good as his last job.
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Oooohhhhhhhhhh. Not the device that was used at the time of and in detecting the offence but a different one.
Now there is an avenue for argument what?
DVD
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DVD,
All we were doing yeaterday was preliminary bug busting, we know the serial number of the kit used and me may well demand it s testing.
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boring ! Seriously its a very competant motor, comfortable well made, fast, supreb handling,ride and economical, I just can't bring myself to love it. This was a lease company error and they compensated me with what they saw as a superior car, consequently it has become a bit of a symbol of envy amongst my fellow briefs, one in particular gets his 330Csi replaced with a 330d coupe before very long, he is seriously considering a swap, me I don't need to consider it ! Whatch this space.
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We have one at work used - believe it or not - to measure the speed of football penalty kicks!
But we've also taken it out to 'play with' at the local racetrack when they'd organised drags down the main straight ... and some enterprising youngster came up with the idea of two tripods - one with a camera, which takes a snap of (a) the radar gun; and (b) the car.
Great proof of 'how fast my car goes!'
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His surname isn't Gatso by any chance ?
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Maybe the ghost of Maurice :-)
ISTR he died a few years ago.
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