Nottingham PCC in the Eye of a Storm After Receiving Speeding Fines

Police and Crime Commissioner for Nottinghamshire, Caroline Henry, was fined £2450 after pleading guilty to 5 counts of speeding between March and June 2021. Impact’s Kit Sinclair reports.

Henry was caught speeding 5 times in 4 separate locations around Nottinghamshire. Two of the speeding incidents took place in March 2021 - whilst Henry was campaigning to become the Police and Crime Commissioner, promising she would prioritise “effective and efficient” responses to speeding. The other three incidents took place weeks after she was elected.

All of the incidents occurred in 30mph zones, and Henry was caught reaching speeds between 35 and 40mph. Two of the breaches occurred on Oxclose Lane in Daybrook, near Burford Primary School.

Along with the £2450 fine, Henry lost her licence and was handed a 6-month driving ban, effective immediately. She was also ordered to pay a victim surcharge of £190 alongside prosecution costs.

During the hearing, the court heard how Henry’s children rely significantly on her. However, the judge dismissed her argument to retain her licence on the grounds of exceptional hardship, stating that her husband could also facilitate the visits to her children.

Her husband, Darren Henry, has served as the Conservative MP for Broxtowe (covering Beeston and parts of Wollaton) since 2019, while Caroline Henry was elected as Police and Crime Commissioner for Nottinghamshire in May 2021. In an interview with the Nottingham Post, Caroline Henry defended her actions: “At the time one of my children had tried to take their own life and had been sectioned in hospital. I was regularly travelling to and from the hospital and I was under very significant pressure.”

Her actions have provoked outcry in the community. Local publisher Matt Turpin, who lost a family member due to a speeding car, said:

“Of course, it’s possible to feel sympathy for her family situation while still thinking what she did was wrong, but the mitigation didn’t impress the judge. It’s also worth noting that anyone who has a child die due to speeding cars - and I along with many have - knows that it rings hollow.” He continued: “Once could have been excusable. Five times in just a few weeks is not.”

Approached for comment by Impact, the Commissioner referred us to the Nottingham Post interview and stated: “..to be clear I am not trying to make excuses. I am truly sorry. Quite properly I’ve been fined and banned from driving for six months.” She added: “I remain committed to serving the people of Nottinghamshire as Police and Crime Commissioner.” This is despite calls by some Nottinghamshire residents for her to resign.

“Every day she continues to hold office she debases and demeans it,” says Mr Turpin. “She should resign immediately and give us, and the force she represents, a commissioner who doesn’t think she’s above the law.”

by Kit Sinclair

Illustrations by Kritika Routh Page Design by Zainab Shakeel