Legal advice

[Cawker]

Basically last year i was having a rebel year and broke the law while driving. Stupid and i paid the price

I recieved a fine and was paying it fine but then i moved home and could not attend my job. I applied for JSA but i got refused and a suspension was put on my account from December 05 - April 06. I had no money coming in at all.

I have now been summoned to court tommorrow and am a tad bit worried. Will i go prison

This is what the letter says

http://img151.imageshack.us/my.php?image=letter3hq.jpg

Thanks for any advice

[Pia]

You should have really contacted the while you were unable to pay.
I don't think you'll go to prison, but you'll get a load more charges on your bill i would have thought.

[punky]

What Pia said ^^^

They won't send you to jail just yet. They'll get even less money out of you if they did. The letter is worded very informally and in a concillatory tone. They want to sort out a payment plan for you.

[Cawker]

Originally Posted by punky

What Pia said ^^^

They won't send you to jail just yet. They'll get even less money out of you if they did. The letter is worded very informally and in a concillatory tone. They want to sort out a payment plan for you.

Well i am willing to pay £30-£40 this friday and £20 the week after to try and get back on track

[gooner4life]

Am I the only person appalled by the way that letter is set out and the way it is worded?

"You will be seen by a team who will help you sort out your fines"

I personally would have binned that letter as i'd have believed it were a scam or wind up.

[etccarmageddon]

it's written in chav friendly language!

[Bifta]

I think it's very good of the courts (who can as far as I know are able to impose a 28 day custodial sentence for non-payment of fines) to actually offer to help him sort it out.

[Russ]

I think you can put all thoughts of going to prison out of your mind - jails are full enough of 'real' criminals (ie murderers, rapists, fraudsters, drug dealers etc) without needed to get 'small potatoes' like yourself in there too.

Courts can be very helpful and sympathetic as along as you're not extracting the urine and the fact you're willing to appear as they demand will definately help your case.

Hope it goes well and be sure to let us all know.

[handyman]

If you can offer a payment option regardless of how much ie. £5 per week then they will not take it to court as you have offered to pay. What I have learnt from experience is that its better to offer a reasonable payment option that you can make each week/month rather than a larger amount that you will struggle to meet and default on again.

And always be honest they really do appreciate it.

hm

[punky]

Originally Posted by Bifta

I think it's very good of the courts (who can as far as I know are able to impose a 28 day custodial sentence for non-payment of fines) to actually offer to help him sort it out.

Its because they'd rather get something rather than nothing. So long as people don't take the p**s the courts (and mortgage companies) will meet people (sometimes more than) half way to help them.

Once the person is imprisoned, the fine is written off isn't it? Factor in the cost of imprisonment, and its not hard to see why.

[Russ]

Originally Posted by punky

Once the person is imprisoned, the fine is written off isn't it? Factor in the cost of imprisonment, and its not hard to see why.

Apparently this isn't the case anymore. A mate of mine is a security guard in my local magistrates and we were talking about this a few months ago. He says the days of being given the option of "28 days or a £200 fine" are gone - you'd get jailed but would still have to pay up.

[Mal]

Originally Posted by gooner4life

Am I the only person appalled by the way that letter is set out and the way it is worded?

"You will be seen by a team who will help you sort out your fines"

I personally would have binned that letter as i'd have believed it were a scam or wind up.

I really do not think binning a letter which "supposedly" comes from a Magistrates court is a wise thing to do, without investigating it first. The best way would be to find the court telephone number in the yellow pages and go through that, instead of using the number on the letter.

I agree, the letter could have been presented better. That is the headed paper for the Court Service, but I suppose that it could have been doctored.

[Xaccers]

Originally Posted by Cawker

Well i am willing to pay £30-£40 this friday and £20 the week after to try and get back on track

Someone I knew fell a year behind on council tax (no, it wasn't John Prescott) and they didn't go to jail.
They had to attend court to have their living costs and income checked so that the court could propose a reasonable amount to pay back each week.
It was reviewed every few months or so to ensure that he could still afford to pay, or if he had been earning more, pay it off quicker.
The enphasis of the court however was to ensure he was not put into any financial hardship.
Whenever he had a few quid spare at the end of the week, he'd over pay, which went down brilliantly at the next review as it showed he was being serious about paying back the costs.
Just ensure you make the court know you want to pay the fine, but have had financial difficulties, and most of all, if you ever have difficulty paying what the court decides (say something comes up and takes all your money that week), let them know asap. If they don't tell you who to contact, ask in court.
The last thing the court wants you to do is worry.

[tick]

say you are sorry and offer to pay .
All will be fine
don't offer to much a amount you can afford

They've stopped sending people to jail for non payment, if you don't pay they send the baliffs out now.

---------- Post added at 21:03 ---------- Previous post was at 21:02 ----------

Originally Posted by Cawker

Basically last year i was having a rebel year and broke the law while driving. Stupid and i paid the price

I recieved a fine and was paying it fine but then i moved home and could not attend my job. I applied for JSA but i got refused and a suspension was put on my account from December 05 - April 06. I had no money coming in at all.

I have now been summoned to court tommorrow and am a tad bit worried. Will i go prison

This is what the letter says

http://img151.imageshack.us/my.php?image=letter3hq.jpg

Thanks for any advice

You've nothing to worry about mate, just offer them what you can afford and you'll be ok honest.