A Swedish man has received the High Court's order that he must have his choir card back. This, even though the police claim that he has a speed limit of at least 131 km/h in a 70-zone.
A motorist who was measured for driving 131 km/h in a 70 zone has been given his driving license back. The High Court has acquitted the man, even though the police's assessment initially led to a revocation of the choir card.
– I never thought it would work, says the man to Trelleborg's Allehanda .
The incident took place at the beginning of October, when the man from Trelleborg was driving north along the E22 outside Lund.
Near a guardrail he suddenly noticed a police officer with a speedometer . He reacted by braking hard and changing quickly to the right lane. Shortly afterwards he came to an area of roadworks where the speed had been reduced to 70km/h.
Despite the violent braking, he was stopped by the police, who announced that he had a card 51 km/h too fast, which entailed an immediate revocation of the choir card.
– I've learned over the years that you shouldn't sign anything in an affect or under pressure. So I denied the speed. And then I was called for police questioning, he explains.
The man then began to investigate the matter more closely, as he suspected that the speed measurement had been taken outside the area where the speed limit had been lowered to 70 km/h.
According to the police's measurement, the man's speed was measured at a distance of 183 metres. However, the driver would not accept that.
So he obtained a map from the Land Survey of Sweden and took pictures of the signage to verify his accusations against the police. The analysis showed that the police measurement had been carried out outside the correct area.
This important detail was presented in court, where the man argued for his innocence. The court found that the police's measurement could not be used for anything, and he was therefore acquitted.
Although one juror expressed doubt about the man's explanation, it was not sufficient for a conviction.
– I got my choir card back. An officer from the Swedish Transport Agency called and told me that the time of traffic bans is now over. I will probably have to pay a fine for the 21 kilometers I cut too fast, he says.
