Great Speed Gun Scandal

Mail investigation reveals shocking flaws in laser that traps thousands of motorists

Daily Mail, Saturday, October 15, 2005

Thousands of motorists may have been wrongly fined for speeding, a Daily Mail investigation has revealed.

We found flaws in police laser guns which raise serious doubts about their accuracy – one recorded that a wall was travelling at 44mph.

The machines catch more than a million motorists each year apparently breaking the speed limit, bringing in £100 million in fines. But after rigorous testing of the laser guns, our investigation throws their reliability into question. Alarmingly, the Mail can also reveal that the main expert witness used by the Crown Prosecution Service to convict motorists in laser gun speeding cases is the man who imports the device into Britain from America.

Millionaire retired police officer Frank Garratt markets the LTI 20.20. gun, approved by the Home Office and used in some 3,500 roadside police speed traps.

Mr Garratt insists the device works. But thousands of motorists believe they have been wrongly fined, with points put on their licence, following inaccurate readings.