EPA letter from council re. cigarette end

keystone

Handbags at dawn

Mr_Oink

keystone wrote: »

Handbags at dawn

Hell yea..

vein

thescouselander wrote: »

Your the troll dude - we often see your type around here who would rather see people get into trouble instead of helping them out - either way I think your advice was rubbish.

Is there not a time though where you have to hold your hands up and say, "fair enough I'm banged to rights on this one"?

If her son has dropped a fag end out of his window then he was littering and he has been caught. I'm finding myself agreeing with the posters who are saying just pay up.

I used to do this all the time myself, then found myself using the ashtray in the car and now find myself rarely smoking in the car for 2 reasons. First one being I dont like my car stinking of smoke and second one being I dont want to litter the streets with my ciggy ends. I know though that if I did litter and get caught I wouldnt try and get out of the fine. Just pay up, learn the lesson and move on.

TiTheRev

If you do the crime, pay the fine/do the time...not just find any way to get out of it but hiding behind 'lack of evidence' or a 'prove it' mentality. And for the benefit of scouselander, I emphasise IF you do the crime!

sarahg1969

Mr_Oink wrote: »

How can anyone be sure he did *not* do it? Do you think they picked him at random from the phone book :rotfl:

By all means view the evidence, but I stand by what I said. Thank you for quoting it in it's entirety.

They picked him from the DVLA database. They did not identify him committing an offence. They need evidence to prosecute; he is under no obligation to provide them with that evidence.

Mr_Oink

sarahg1969 wrote: »

They picked him from the DVLA database. They did not identify him committing an offence. They need evidence to prosecute; he is under no obligation to provide them with that evidence.

Sure - he's under no obligation. He can go to Court and chance his arm and he may get away with it if there is no tangible evidence. However, they may just turn up a picture from a camera, TomTom or mobile phone. They may turn up a couple of witnesses. We can all take wild guesses at it. If that case succeeds there would be a criminal conviction on file forever. That would show on any standard/enhanced CRB check for the rest of his life. Initially that may be 'big deal', until you look at the range of jobs requiring CRB checks just to empty the bin.

I look at it this way - if he did this, be a man about it, pay up and move on. If not defend it. The attitude that is wholly unacceptable by folk with a normal moral compass would be the 'yeah I did it, but I can get away with it'. Sadly there are some people with this mentality and they deserve some degree of pity.

ih8stress

Wow, didn't realise my post would start such a debate. I take all the comments on board, thanks.

I don't know if my son did/didn't do 'the crime' and yes, Mr Oink I have brought him up to be a decent individual but hey, no-one is perfect.

It's not a case of avoiding paying anything IF he did it. My main query I suppose was to see what the procedure was. After all, any 'jobsworth' could note down a street name, date, time and car registration number and say they 'saw' something.
How many people on here would not be concerned if they got a letter out of the blue accusing them of something and threatening legal action and/or a fine? (Especially in this day and age of scams and rip-offs).

sarahg, thank you for the pepipoo links. The first one you gave shows the exact same letter and form. Unfortunately the thread is incomplete, so I don't know what the result, or solution was.

I will keep you all posted.

msmyth18

sassy-one wrote: »

After you have got the evidence, you then may wish to seek and appoint a Solicitor, as unless they have some good evidence, they do not have a case that will stand.

Really?? For a £75 fine you would actually appoint a solicitor? The most cost effective solution would be to pay the fine wouldn't it

If he did drop it then i hope they double the fine, we as a country spend £700 million on litter picking! I think smokers should have a litter tax on their habit!

msmyth18

ih8stress wrote: »

I don't know if my son did/didn't do 'the crime' and yes, Mr Oink I have brought him up to be a decent individual but hey, no-one is perfect.

Surely that would be the first question to ask him? I know if my mom was in a similar situation she would fight my corner to the end if i didn't do it and tell me what a stupid person i am if i did!

Coveredinbees!!!!

ih8stress wrote: »

I don't know if my son did/didn't do 'the crime'

Can't you just ask him, it's a simple yes or no answer?