Overturned Court Decision

Sinhanada

This story goes back to April 2004 when I had a vehicle parked on a street without a valid tax disc. The car was clamped by the DVLA (quite rightly so) and I paid them to have the clamp removed and a fine after proving I had taxed the vehicle. I thought nothing more of it until I received a letter from Merseyside Magistrates court in May of this year stating that there was an overdue fine of £85. It did not however make any reference to when the fine was issued, who issued it or what it was for.

I tried unsusccesfully to contact them through their automated system and eventually wrote to them. I was advised it was in relation to this vehicle being untaxed and was imposed by Manchester court in April 2005. This was then transferred to Merseyside court in 2006.

I contacted them again to ask why I had not heard anything about a court date while I was living in Merseyside (until the end of 2004) and that following that I had moved to North Yorkshire and been at the same address since 2007 (and on the voters roll - easily contactable and searchable).

I was finally advised to go to my nearest Magistrates court and make a Statutory Declaration stating that I had no knowledge of the fine or court date, that I had lived at my present address since 2007 and that the first I had heard of this was in 2013. Before making the declaration and during I was advised by the courts that if I made a false application or I could be prosecuted under perjury laws. This was then signed and sent back to Manchester courts.

On the weekend I received a letter from the courts stating that it had been overturned and as such no fine was payable by myself - the DVLA however may seek to reopen the case.

What I will say is that the courts are doing a major purge on old outstanding debts - if you receive such a letter as this and your genuinely had no knowledge of the offence or court appearance then do fight it and use the Statutory Declaration!