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Hairdresser, 56, wins driving fine court battle by cross-examining police officer herself with 'Miss Marple skills'

A mother-of-two accused of not wearing a seatbelt successfully defended herself in court – using skills learnt from watching Miss Marple.

Karen Bennett, a 56-year-old hairdresser, was stopped by police in 2016 and told she had been seen driving without her belt on.

But having learnt from her TV heroine she was able to undermine evidence given in court by the police.

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She refused to pay an initial £37 fine, so was taken to court on Tuesday. When she arrived for the case she was told she would have to cross examine the officers

Mrs Bennett, a hairdresser, said: “The only experience of a court I have got is TV programmes and Miss Marple. Watching Miss Marple helped me to try and prove my innocence.

Mrs Bennett is a fan of crime dramas, and used that to her advantage (credit: SWNS)
Mrs Bennett is a fan of crime dramas, and used that to her advantage (credit: SWNS)

“She gave me the idea of fighting for justice. I like to thing that the truth always prevails. I am obsessed with all the crime shows. I’m very interested in that sort of thing.

“I knew I had to find out exactly where the police officer was when they said they spotted me. When I was talking to the people I used all the proper words. I just knew I had to prove my innocence.”

Miss Marple is an amateur detective created by author Agatha Christie, with a number of stories turned into a TV series that ran from 1984 to 1992.

Mrs Bennett says she was pulled over by an officer on a motorcycle who told her she had been spotted by a colleague in Colchester, Essex.

Mrs Bennett used pictures showing how she couldn’t do her seatbelt (rcedit: SWNS)
Mrs Bennett used pictures showing how she couldn’t do her seatbelt (rcedit: SWNS)

She was accused of only putting on her seatbelt before she was stopped and later received a letter detailing her £37 fine.

But rather than pay she started formulating evidence with her husband Graham, 53.

Explaining her interrogation skills, Karen said: “I said to her ‘Could you tell me exactly where you were parked’.

“When she told me her position I knew 100 per cent she couldn’t have seen me properly.

“I also had pictures to show that I can’t put on my belt while I’m driving – I’m too short to do it without turning right around.

“The magistrates said the evidence was inconclusive and the evidence I prepared for the court was exceptional and they completely cleared me.

Husband Graham helped her put her defence together (credit: SWNS)
Husband Graham helped her put her defence together (credit: SWNS)

“I can’t tell you the relief. I felt like I’d be on trial for murder. It was not trivial for me. I can’t imagine how it must feel when someone is falsely accused of something more serious. I was floating the day after it.”

She now wants to encourage others to take up the fight against wrongful fines such as this and would be pleased to give advice if she can.

She said: “I’m all for enforcing road safety but it has to be done right.

“I would say to people ‘stand up for your principles’. People should stand up for themselves.”

Karen faced one charge of driving a motor vehicle whilst not wearing a seat belt.

This carries a maximum penalty of a £500 fine and could affect insurance claims.

An Essex Police spokesman said: “Whilst we cannot comment on individual cases, it remains our responsibility to put all cases and associated evidence before the Crown Prosecution Service for a decision on whether charges will be brought.

“Essex Police makes no apology for running operations around the county aimed at road safety.”

“We will take every opportunity to enforce the law around wearing seatbelts.”

The government brings in around £2million annually in fines for seatbelt offences.

For next month, UK nationals will face fines of up to £640 if they get caught without a belt when driving in the EU.