Do I need a solicitor?
If you've been charged with a drink driving offence, you need to consider your position very carefully as the penalties can be severe. In every case, you are strongly advised to seek legal advice.
Mounting a defence
If you don't think you're guilty of committing a drink driving offence, you'll probably need to challenge the scientific evidence advanced by the police and Crown Prosecution Service.
Proving the prosecution evidence is unreliable is usually very hard. Most defendants who succeed manage to either convince the court that the breath test machine calibrations were outside acceptable boundaries or demonstrate the presence of high acetone levels in the breath specimen.
As technology improves and devices become more reliable, the scope to challenge results on either basis has narrowed. The devices now used in police stations have become far more adept at differentiating between the various substances contained in a specimen.
Thus, you should think very carefully and consult a solicitor at length before you decide to challenge the test results. Certainly rethink any defence strategy advanced purely as a "shot in the dark" to reduce the penalty the court imposes, since this approach is doomed to failure and invariably just leads to an increased sentence.
If you think your defence is legitimate, however, a solicitor who is accustomed to dealing with the police and handling drink driving charges will be able to assist you in compiling the evidence you need. He or she will also help you present your case in a clear and logical way.
The advice of an experienced solicitor can be invaluable, even essential, in mounting a defence to a drink driving charge.
Reducing the penalty
The penalties for drink driving really vary. Each offence has a number of nuances, and many aggravating and mitigating factors. An experienced criminal law solicitor will know what these are and therefore have a better chance of reducing any penalty the court decides to impose.
Finding a solicitor
Online research is often a good way to find a solicitor. Firms of solicitors that specialise in criminal law will frequently have experience in handling drink driving offences. You can find details about solicitors on the Law Society website. A solicitor matching service, such as Contact Law , can also help you find a quality-assured lawyer in your area with the appropriate skills and experience for free .
- Source:
- FindLaw
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