Convicted in Absence Lawyers
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CONVICTED IN ABSENCE FOR A DRIVING OFFENCE
Being ‘convicted in absence’ under section 172 of the Road Traffic Act (also known as ‘trial in absentia’) means that the court reached a decision to sentence you for an alleged offence even though you did not attend the court hearing in person.
This can happen by mistake if you accidentally forget to respond to a letter, or if you didn’t know you had to attend at all.
If you have been convicted in your absence of a road traffic offence and you were unaware of the proceedings against you, you need to seek the expertise of a specialists driving offence solicitor.
At Motoring Offence Solicitors we offer the very best privately funded legal advice and representation to motorists accused of driving offences in Manchester, the North West and throughout the UK.
If you find yourself in the situation of having been convicted in absence, call our team today on 0161 832 3852 or complete the enquiry form at the bottom of this page.

Thanks so much 100% recommend to anyone looking for representation
Originally we were looking at a potential driving ban, a minimum sentence of community service, plus a fine and interviews with the traffic commissioner. On the day of the hearing the Crown Prosecution wanted all of the former, which would have meant the end of a driving career and the loss of livelihood.
On the eleventh hour and fifty nine minutes literally as we were walking into court, Brian managed to secure a deal with the prosecution which led the judge to serve up five points on the licence and a fine, all of the other charges were dropped.
Such a massive relief after nearly a year of worry and angst. If you need a solicitor that specialises in motoring offences Mr Koffman is the man you need, so ring him. I mean it ring him!
Thanks to Brains excellent representation, I won my case, keeping my licence and was rewarded £750 towards my costs.
Would highly recommend
Cheers
Nick
Excellent legal advice, excellent and professional customer service, outstanding legal representation. I would have no hesitation at all in recommending them to anyone who needs their services.
My sincere regards to the entire team at Brian Koffman&Co Solicitors
Both himself & his assistant were both very helpful and very reactive to both phone calls & email.
I had no prior experience of attending court, however Brian made me feel at ease as to what to expect.
The case in which I was involved, was quite complex, however his professionalism and attention to detail made sure I received the best possible outcome.
I would recommend him to others
Should you require assistance with a driving offence Brian is the person to hire.
Professional, meticulous, leaves nothing to chance.
Thank you Brian
Results from this would have been:
Banned from driving
Loss of job
Loss of house
Wedding cancelled
Honeymoon cancelled
The results would have ruined my life.
One email and meeting with Brian and all this was sorted. Completely stress free and both him and his assistant were amazing.
Couldn't rate them high enough
Thank you.
His knowledge is this area is amazing and the the advice he gave me put my mind at rest and made me hopeful that he could resolve the case without me receiving a ban.
Due to covid back log the case was very drawn out but the moment I heard from the courts, Brian was at the other end of the phone and he remembered my case every time, which shows a great personal touch. You wouldn’t get that with a large firm.
Brian managed to resolve the case with reduced points and I am extremely grateful for his help as a totting up ban would have been catastrophic for me.
He was brilliant during what has been a very stressful 8 months.
With a very frustrating case and my case management hearing date changing dates a number of times to my actual trail date changing dates a number of times, Brian was professional throughout and assured me throughout, it was clear from the start brains knowledge and professionalism was going to help me, after nearly three years of this case dragging out we finally got the trail date, and the outcome was outstanding, Brian is in the process of claiming some of my legal fees back which will also be a massive help for me, I couldent recommend Brian enough and would not hesitate to contact again if I needed to, thankyou brain.
Thank you Brian.
Brian decided that the best route to take would be to enter a plea of exceptional hardship. He explained everything clearly and guided me through the process whilst reducing the considerable stress I was under.
His efforts secured me the best possible outcome. Not only did I keep my licence, I also received the lowest possible fine.
I can't recommend Brian highly enough and would urge anyone in similar circumstances to contact Brian Koffman & Co Solicitors without hesitation.
Thank you Brian.
It was my first experience of having a penalty of this nature and was looking to instruct a solicitor to gain some advice on the best steps.
He was incredibly blunt and rude. He compared my enquiry to the likes of a doctor seeing a patient with no knowledge of the symptoms? Despite me being on the phone to answer any questions regarding the offence in question.
Completely bizarre and rude, with him then hanging up on me.
He is such a brilliant lawyer. He made me win the case. He is very professional, honest and an experience lawyer. I do highly recommend him. I’m giving him 5 stars. Thanks a lot.
In recent months Mr. Koffman has dealt with everything associated with my Fathers case from phonecalls to documentation ect.
Upon first meeting Mr. Koffman explained in detail what repercussions my Father could face as a result of his driving offences, following our understand Mr. Koffman immediately turned his attention to how he could help.
With afew meetings and several telephone calls a decision was made on how to proceed, following this Mr. Koffman travelled to us in order to attend court & won our case!
I cannot recommend him enough, everything was done to perfection and no stone was left unturned.
5* absolutely.
If ever you have a motoring issue Mr. Koffman is the man to see.
We have already recommended him to friends and will continue to do so.
Thank you again Mr. Koffman
He got me the outcome I requested and I couldn't recommend him or his services highly enough. I chose him from his excellent google reviews just like this one, and now can see why he is so highly regarded!
Thanks again Brian.
Hopefully, I never need to use you again, but if I do, you will definitely be the solicitor I use.
Thank you again for helping me.
Brian, thank you once again for all your hard work which in turn gave us the best possible outcome.
WE FIND SOLUTIONS TO THE MOST CHALLENGING CONVICTED IN ABSENCE CASES
Find Out How We Can help You
SECTION 172 ROAD TRAFFIC ACT
A section 172 notice is a notice of intended prosecution which can be served verbally by the police or by a letter in the post soon after the offence was committed. These days, many traffic offences are detected by automated systems (speed cameras) so the police need a way to require vehicle owners to provide details of the driver at the time an offence was committed.
The written notice is sent by post to the registered keeper of the vehicle named on the V5 document within 14 days, who is then required to provide driver details. Failure to complete and return the section 172 notice within 28 days can lead to a charge of failure to furnish driver ID which can lead to an MS90 conviction.
A notice can also be sent to any other person with the same consequences if there is no response.
MS90 CONVICTIONS & MS90 STATUTORY DECLARATION
MS90 is the code used by the court and DVLA.
An MS90 conviction is the result of failing to provide information about the identity of a driver at the time a driving offence was committed. This can happen unintentionally but if convicted an MS90 endorsement carries a penalty of 6 points and a fine of up to £1,000.
It is very common for the registered keeper of a vehicle to change their address and forget to provide the new details to the DVLA. The notice of intended prosecution is sent to the old address, the vehicle owner is unaware of the offence and an MS90 conviction in absence is entered.
A notice of intended prosecution is deemed to have been served if it was posted to him/her at their last known address even if is was returned undelivered or for any other reason was not received by him/her.
If you have received an MS90 conviction, we can help.
HOW WE CAN HELP YOU
If you have been convicted of a road traffic offence and you were unaware of the proceedings against you, contact our experienced driving offence solicitors now at Motoring Offence Solicitors.
We offer the very best privately funded legal representation to drivers accused of driving offences in Manchester and across the UK.
Call our team today on 0161 832 3852 or complete the enquiry form below.
or Call 0161 832 3852
REOPENING MOTORING CONVICTIONS AND SENTENCES
Making a statutory declaration to the magistrate’s court is very often done in relation to our clients who have been convicted of road traffic offences without realising it.
The reasons are often related to out of date DVLA records due to a change of address.
In 2004/5, 170,000 (one hundred and seventy thousand) defendants (15% of all those charged) failed to attend their trial in the Magistrates Court and the charge was proved in their absence.
The overwhelming majority of these were motoring offences (National Audit Office 10/02/2006 ‘CPS: Effective Use of Magistrates Courts Hearings’).
You will automatically be granted the opportunity to make a statutory declaration if you make the request within 21 days of finding out that you have been convicted of an offence. Beyond 21 days it may be refused at the discretion of the Magistrate.
If you find out you have been convicted in your absence you must act quickly.
You will need to provide clear evidence to support your claim that a mistake has been made. For example. you may be able to show valid paperwork, such as insurance or MOT documents, that you weren’t able to provide at the time.
Contact our experienced team of driving offence solicitors today on 0161 832 3852 for a free consultation, or make an enquiry online here.
WHAT SORT OF OFFENCES DOES THIS APPLY TO?
Section 172(2) of the Road Traffic Act 1988 creates an obligation to provide information. Failure to do so is known as a “Section 172 offence” and can be applied to most road traffic offences. However, the most common causes are probably speeding offences and failure to furnish.
What often happens is that the registered keeper of the vehicle doesn’t respond to the notice of intended prosecution. Perhaps they have changed address and not updated the DVLA, or perhaps they are not sure who was driving at the time. This ‘failure to furnish’ details of the driver is an offence which can be enforced in the absence of the accused under section 172 of the road traffic act.
HAVE YOU BEEN CONVICTED OF A DRIVING OFFENCE IN YOUR ABSENCE?
If you have been convicted of a driving offence without your knowledge, it is important to contact an experienced driving offences solicitor immediately. The time you take to act can have a major impact on your chances of success. Our experts are on hand to provide a superior privately funded service to help keep you safe and on the road.
Please contact Motoring Offence Solicitors on 0161 832 3852 or complete the enquiry form below.
They helped me expertly when I really needed it. Diligent, professional, highly knowledgeable and considering what I was facing, absolutely amazing value.
Thank you Brian and team.