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Daily Mail, Friday, 29th June 2007
Two British motorists have lost the last round of their legal fight against speed cameras.
Idris Francis, of Petersfield, Hants, and Gerard O'Halloran, from London, argued that current rules forced car owners to incriminate themselves.
They said human rights were breached by making a car's owner name the driver if the vehicle is caught speeding.
But judges at the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg voted 15 to two to reject their argument.
"In my view it is a perverse decision," Mr Francis said. "I am shocked and amazed."
Penalty points
Both men have separately claimed a right to silence after their cars were caught speeding.
Company director Mr Francis, who claimed the right to silence, was fined and had three points put on his licence.
Mr O'Halloran had said he was driving his vehicle but later retracted, saying he had a right to silence and protection from self-incrimination. Magistrates fined him and added penalty points.
The men took their case to the European court last September with the support of human rights group Liberty.
Before the ruling, Paul Smith, founder of campaigners Safe Speed, described the case as "extremely important to road safety".
"If it kills off speed cameras, and I hope it will, at least for a while, it will be a great day for road safety and a great day for justice," he said.
The anti-camera group says a right to silence is contained in the 1988 Road Traffic Act.
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