[Madhatter]

While I agree in such circumstances that you are made to feel guilty, I don't agree that the accused is innocent until proven guilty, they are guilty until proved inocent. try being the accused and you'll see what I mean.
I got took to court because some woman said I reversed in to her car. For 1 I was in an ambulance bay delivering transplant tissue, second she'd blocked me in, when she shouldn't have been waiting there. third i didn't hit her scrap heap car, I reversed but stopped before I hit it. She stopped me getting out the space, but when I did manage to get her to move, I stopped at the scene, arguing with her that I hadn't hit it. She asked for my details, I said no, I haven't hit it, she started punching the van. At this point I drove off and forgot about it.
Months later I got took to the police station and got interviewed, I recieved a summonse that said if your not guilty, send off stating that your pleading not guilty and don't attend court. next thing I know, days after a double hernia op I'm arrested for not attending court.
I then attended court 3 more times but it got adjourned. When I eventually did get the case seen, my solicitor advised me to plead guilty, because of several witnesses 'seeing' me reverse into the car. strange how people want to be a witness, and always 'see' it happen.
What I didn't know was that I was pleading guilty to not stopping at the scene of an accident, which is a serious offence. I could have gone to prison. I did stop, I argued with her, It was only when she got agressive did I leave. As a result of me being guilty when I wasn't and being told to plead guilty, My insurance went up by a thousand pound a year, to 1650, I was restricted to one vehicle, and it's impossible for me to get insurance other than through the company.
I was guilty, I was arrested, and worse still I was charged with the wrong offence anway, even though I was innocent.