False Name and Address not a good idea

[wellhouse]

From The Huddersfield Examiner 15 April 2016, reporting Kirklees Magistrates' Court

Jack Wallis (21), Sheardale, Holmfirth. Travelling on a train without a valid ticket and providing wrong name and address. Fined £100 with £20 victim surcharge and £100 costs and £1.50 compensation.)

 

[Islineclear3_1]

Sounds like he got off lightly - "only" £221.50 fine...?

 

[Phil.]

Sounds like he got off lightly - "only" £221.50 fine...?

£221.50 may be small beer to you but for some of us it's a fair wodge.

 

[ainsworth74]

Sounds like he got off lightly - "only" £221.50 fine...?

Assuming a it was a first time offence that sounds about right to me. Also as above £221.50 might not be a lot of money to some but to others it could be a hell of a lot. For example if Mr Walllis were to be claiming Jobseekers Allowance then that fine is the equivalent of nearly a months JSA.

 

[Solent&Wessex]

The compensation is normally always the fare avoided, so £221.50 for trying to avoid £1.50 didn't quite work out as the bargain he expected.

 

[Islineclear3_1]

Yes I appreciate it is a lot of money (yes, even to me) but seeing as it got to court, I was expecting it to be a lot more

 

[najaB]

Yes I appreciate it is a lot of money (yes, even to me) but seeing as it got to court, I was expecting it to be a lot more

The court takes the defendant's income into account when setting the fine.

 

[Stigy]

Assuming a it was a first time offence that sounds about right to me. Also as above £221.50 might not be a lot of money to some but to others it could be a hell of a lot. For example if Mr Walllis were to be claiming Jobseekers Allowance then that fine is the equivalent of nearly a months JSA.

First time offence maybe, but it would have also been linked to an offence under s.5(3)a RRA too, which being two offences, usually attracts a lot more of a fine. But as has been said, all fines are means tested and £220 is a large sum of money to most people....even if he will only be paying £1 a week

Given the TOC only receives a proportion of their costs back at court, these however, seem strangely high though.....

 

[Antman]

Sounds like he got off lightly - "only" £221.50 fine...?

A shoplifter would probably have got an £80 fixed penalty at most.

And it has to be said a lot of people give false names and addresses (even to the police) and get away with it and it's unlikely to change unless compulsory ID cards come about but there are all sorts of civil liberties issues.

 

[krus_aragon]

A shoplifter would probably have got an £80 fixed penalty at most.

That £80 wouldn't have been issued in court, though. It's more akin to the out of court settlements that some TOCs may choose to offer.

 

[Antman]

That £80 wouldn't have been issued in court, though. It's more akin to the out of court settlements that some TOCs may choose to offer.

That's the whole point of an £80 fixed penalty for minor issues, the court system is struggling to cope.

 

[Puffing Devil]

That's the whole point of an £80 fixed penalty for minor issues, the court system is struggling to cope.

The court system may be struggling, perhaps we should look at the recent waves of court closures, cuts to CPS funding and slashing of Legal Aid. May have had a bit of an impact......

 

[Antman]

The court system may be struggling, perhaps we should look at the recent waves of court closures, cuts to CPS funding and slashing of Legal Aid. May have had a bit of an impact......

Yes I'm sure that is a fair point although some courts have closed because the antiquated buildings were no longer fit for purpose.

 

[Puffing Devil]

Yes I'm sure that is a fair point although some courts have closed because the antiquated buildings were no longer fit for purpose.

And the replacements were built where?