Parking ticket for parking ticket for parking in disabled bay, urgent replies please

Coupon-mad

Sirdan wrote: »

I've seen that assertion many many times but I've yet to see anyone post the actual law relating to it.

Although legally they can not impose a fine I don't think that choosing to misdescribe their charge as a fine is necessarily illegal..misleading ..yes..breach of meaningless BPA codes of practice ..yes ..but illegal ..I'm not so sure.

I think a private company using the word 'fine' falls foul of the Administration of Justice Act:

http://www.insolvencyhelpline.co.uk/debt_factsheets/harassment_of_people_in_debt_by_creditors.php#1

QUOTE
Section 40 of the Administration of Justice Act

“S40 Punishment for unlawful harassment of debtors.

1. A person commits an offence if, with the object of coercing another person to pay money claimed from the other as a debt due under a contract he-
   • harasses the other with demands for payment which, in respect of their frequency, or the manner or occasion of making any such demand, or of any threat or publicity by which any demand is accompanied, are calculated to subject him or members of his family or household to alarm, distress or humiliation;
   • falsely represents, in relation to the money claimed, that criminal proceedings lie for failure to pay it;
   • falsely represents himself to be authorised in some official capacity to claim or enforce payment; or
   • utters a document falsely represented by him to have some official character, or purporting to have some official character which he know it has not.
2. A person may be guilty of an offence by virtue of sub-section (1) (a) above if he concerts with others in the taking of such actions as is described in that paragraph, notwithstanding that his own course of conduct does not by itself amount to harassment.”

QUOTE