Going to court for a speeding ticket
 

I got a big speeding ticket earlier this year. Got booked for 149km/h in a 100km/h zone. That's what the cop gave me a ticket for, although he radar me at 151km/h. This was out in Trenton lalaland. Anyways...I took it to court and hope the cop doesn't show up and he did. Spoke to the crown attorney and he threatened to raise the charge back to 151km/h if I contest him so I just pleaded guilty. The ticket shows $359 including victims fee and such and the judge read out the fine around the number. I got the bill and it is now $423. I just called them and they said going to court cost more money and some victim fee and such. I ask her where does it say it cost more money to go to court because I've gone to court before and the fine never went up. I told her the victim fee is already in the original fine so why would there be another and she just flatly said there's nothing I can do.

Am I being ripped here?

why on earth were you doing 51 over?

reguardless of the few dollars, you got nailed and taken to court because of your own mistakes. They can increase court fees, and they had to pay that officer to show up to court. you're "lucky" you were caught before the 50km over law is in effect. then you would have really had something to complain about.

Minus your rant. We have the right to go to court and the officer is paid through the ticket fine already with a victims fee. The cost of the fine I always thought includes all the fees already for court.

no, the victim surcharge is for programs designed to help victims of crimes, not to pay cops

cops are paid out of the city budget, which fines from tickets go to

either way, the cops and court fees are suppose to be included in the original ticket and not go up when taken to court?

The amount on your ticket is the out-of-court settlement in exchange for a plea of guilty.

If you choose to go to court, you open yourself up for any amount of fine that the JP sees fit, plus victim surcharge, plus whatever court fees the JP sees fit.

You should be happy. The JP could have issued a finding of guilt for the original 51 kmph over instead of the cop's discounted 49 kmph. Had the JP decided to convict you for what you really did, the usual fine would have been $9.75 per km over the limit plus 25% victim surcharge plus court fees on top of that. BY my math that's well over $600 you could have been nailed with, plus a license suspension and possible jail time as well.

You got off easy. Pay the amount they want and stop whining.

There's no such thing as whatever the JP sees fit as a fine. And they cannot fine me the original if he wanted to. My case never went to trial so why would the fine go up? Your statement has no facts, just a rant.

ummm he is not ranting... and he does have facts. The usual fine would HAVE been $9.75 per KM over the limit plus the 25% victim surcharge plus court fees. That is a fact...

so when you say he does not have any facts you are wrong... BTW, you are lucky.. so take what you got and learn to drive and slow down.

And when you come on a public forum and admit to driving 51 km/h over the speed limit and then b**** about the fine for it, what do you expect?

Marker is correct and the judge can change the charge back to what the cop caught you doing. His notes would state your original speed and the judge can change it back.

I know the judge can change the charge back to the original. But what I was REALLY asking was, if I plead guilty to a charge and fine (which was what was on the ticket) can they bill me more than what I pleaded to? Because in court the judge read out the fine and that's what I accepted.

Maybe try calling and asking them. I dunno, maybe there is some other fee the city added on to the fine.

The amount on the ticket is just the out-of-court settlement. It goes out the window the moment you insist on a trial.

You may ultimately still have pled guilty, but you did so in the court room in front of a JP, and that means you had a trial even if it was a very short one. The amount the JP quoted probably didn't include court fees, which come over and above the fine and victim surcharge.