“I Was Found Guilty When I Was Told Not To Go To Court??”

Hi, I got a traffic ticket for speeding over a year ago in Quebec..

And my trial date was finally coming up. a bit over two weeks before my trial date, I sent in a fax asking them for a postponement due and gave my reasons.

I got an email from the penal division saying that they accept my request and that I do NOT have to show up on the date of my trial... and that I would receive notice of my new trial date in the mail....

Well one week after my initial trial date (that I no longer have to attend) has passed.. and I got a mail from them saying I WAS FOUND GUILTY... and the judgement was on the date of that initial trial date (again, the one I requested to postponed and they accepted)...

They say I need to pay them by a date or else I get penalized....

What do I do? How does this affect my driving insurance and stuff since I'm found guilty but I really want to go to court to challenge them and my accuser.

Thanks

Contact the court house in the jurisdiction where this happened first thing on Monday and explain the situation. While I'm not that familiar with the Quebec court system, I'm sure there is a procedure for reopening cases where a judgment has been issued against somebody in error. Make sure to keep a copy of the e-mail you received stating that your court date had been rescheduled so that you have proof of the scheduling mix up.

heroqtchung wrote:How does this affect my driving insurance and stuff

Are you a licensed Ontario driver?

If it's a regular speeding ticket, it'll impact your insurance no different than it would in Ontario. Since there's a reciprocal agreement for this charge, it will show up on your abstract as if it happened in Ontario. Demerit points will be added by the MTO as if the offense took place in Ontario. So ignore the Quebec version of points. I believe there system is a bit more strict on handing out points.

Follow the previous advice and contact the court house asap.