Stephen Oldham Solicitors

16/03/2026

🚨 Facing a driving charge? Start here.

If you’ve received a Notice of Intended Prosecution, a Single justice procedure notice or a Court Summons, the clock is already ticking.

I’m Stephen Oldham, and I help drivers navigate the legal system to get the best possible outcome. This page is dedicated to providing clear, no-nonsense advice on:
✅ Speeding & Penalty Points
✅ Drink & Drug Driving
✅ Careless & Dangerous Driving
✅ Avoiding a 6-month "Totting Up" ban

I work on my own, which means when you hire me, you get me—not a junior clerk.

Call to Action:
I review new cases every day. Before we jump on a call, please use my quick eligibility checker below. It takes 30 seconds and helps me understand your situation immediately:

👉 Check your case eligibility: https://forms.office.com/e/Ae7PBMxHkb

15/03/2026

🚗💨 Why Does a Speeding Case Go to Court?

Most speeding cases are simple — you either get a Speed Awareness Course or a Fixed Penalty (3 points + £100).

But sometimes the police can’t deal with it that way… and that’s when it goes to court.

Here are the 3 reasons a speeding case ends up in front of the magistrates 👇
⚖️ 1️⃣ You didn’t comply with the fixed penalty
Didn’t accept it… didn’t pay it… didn’t send in your licence…
➡️ It gets sent to court automatically.
📉 2️⃣ You’re already on 9+ points
Once you reach 9 points, the next offence might mean a totting‑up disqualification, so the magistrates have to decide what happens.
🚨 3️⃣ Your speed is above the fixed‑penalty threshold. Some speeds are too high to be dealt with by a fixed penalty.

A court case doesn’t always mean a ban — but it does mean a magistrates’ decision, not a police decision.
If you’ve been told your speeding case is going to court, it’s important to understand what your options are.
📩 Feel free to message me if you need help understanding the process.

13/03/2026

🚗 Exceptional Hardship: What Does It REALLY Mean?

f you reach 12 penalty points, the court must normally impose a 6‑month totting‑up driving ban.

Exceptional hardship is the legal argument you can use to ask the court not to impose that ban.

A lot of people think “exceptional hardship” just means a driving ban will make life difficult.
But the court’s test is much tougher than that — and it catches a lot of people out.

Here are some REAL examples of what the court actually looks for 👇

🏋️‍♂️ Hardship to others carries more weight than hardship to you
If staff, customers, or vulnerable family members rely on you to drive, the impact can be much more serious.
📄 You need proper evidence
Letters from employers, medical notes, financial records — the court won’t accept vague statements.
📉 The hardship must be truly exceptional
It has to be worse than what most banned drivers would experience.
Think: job losses for employees, a small business at risk, or someone losing essential care.
⚖️ The court always asks if the situation can be avoided
Could someone else drive?
Could the business adapt?
Could public transport or taxis cover the gap?

Exceptional hardship arguments can work — but only when they’re specific, well‑prepared, and supported by solid evidence.

If a driving ban would affect your family or your business, it’s worth getting advice before going to court.

📩 Message me if you need help preparing an exceptional hardship case.

15/01/2026

⚠️ SCAM WARNING ⚠️ Fake accounts are using my videos. I do not “remove” penalty points.

07/01/2026

School art project Dubai Style 🍫🇦🇪

08/12/2025

Should you use the court duty solicitor to represent you for drink driving?

05/06/2025

🚴‍♂️ Can you get penalty points for cycling offences?

Many people ask whether dangerous or careless cycling can affect their driving licence - here's what you need to know! 📝

✅ The short answer: NO - you cannot get penalty points on your driving licence for cycling offences

🚫 Dangerous and careless cycling are not endorsable offences, which means:
• No penalty points added to your licence
• No automatic driving disqualification

⚖️ However - courts do have discretionary powers to disqualify drivers for any offence (including cycling), but this is extremely rare and unlikely to happen for these particular offences.

Know your rights and stay informed! 💪

02/12/2024

Monthly Newsletter - December 2024 -

Most drivers in the UK have to renew their licence when they reach the age of 70. There is no mandatory medical examination or retest.

01/11/2024

Monthly Newsletter - November 2024 -

This month, I have been playing with Google’s new free artificial intelligence tool Notebook LM. I’m also looking at magistrates’ new sentencing powers and sharing this month’s most popular Youtube video.

01/10/2024

https://mailchi.mp/0dc71dc272b1/i-missed-you-confirm-your-subscription-and-stay-updated

I hope this message finds you well. It’s been a while since I last sent an update, and I have some exciting updates to share with you!

18/09/2024

Is it more serious to collide with a pedestrian or a cyclist?

💥 If you're driving your car, which is more serious: colliding with a pedestrian or colliding with a cyclist?

📜 If you were charged with driving without due care and attention the law doesn't really make any distinction.

👨‍⚖️ The main factor that the courts would take into account is causing damage or injury to other people or property.

🤕 If you have an accident with a pedestrian or a cyclist and you injure them that's an aggravating feature.

🚲 Causing damage to a bicycle would be an aggravated feature too.

🚶 There is also an aggravating feature of committing an offence in an area where there's a high volume of traffic or pedestrians.