Pundit loses speeding case

Jock Brown's brother, Craig, is Scotland's football coach

Lawyer and football pundit Jock Brown has been convicted of speeding after defending himself in what he called a "fundamental issue of British justice".

Brown, a former boss of Celtic FC, went on trial at Ayr District Court, where he denied driving at 40mph in a 30mph limit while on his way to an early morning round of golf.

Brown, 53, whose brother Craig is the Scottish football coach, mounted a robust defence in which he claimed the two policemen who stopped him had made a mistake with a radar gun.

Jock Brown: Defended himself in court

He said: "I could twice have paid a fixed penalty. But I have been here for three days for what is a fundamental issue of British justice.

"I am not in the business of calling the police liars. On this occasion there was no possibility of corroboration of the speed on that gun.

"It is very important that the courts are diligent and that procedures are carried out correctly."

The justices of the peace on the bench, however, decided procedures had been carried out properly and found him guilty.

He was fined £90 and had three points imposed on his licence.

Brown, of Newton Mearns, Glasgow, was accused of speeding in his T-reg Honda Accord in Ayr last October.

He told the court: "I was trundling along and had loads of time to tee off at golf. There was no way I was speeding."

'Procedures were followed'

Traffic Sergeant Drew Robertson and his colleague, PC Stephen Masterson, clocked Brown as he came over the brow of a hill.

Sgt Robertson said: "From his body language I would say he did not look very happy. He was quite surprised."

Brown said the sergeant had been chatting to a lady on the pavement at the time of the clocking and could not corroborate the reading on the radar.

A second officer effectively has to be over the right shoulder of the PC holding the gun to secure a conviction and Brown said this had not been the case.

However both officers insisted there was no woman and agreed with Laura McPherson, prosecuting, that correct procedures had been followed.

Outside court Brown said he did not wish to add anything to what he had said inside.