Local Police have fined a lady for going to the Post Office with an EBay parcel

Pollycat

soolin said:

Lazydayz71 said:

BBC News reported:

A woman has been fined for breaching coronavirus restrictions after she refused to tell police who she was and why she was at a railway station.

Marie Dinou, 41, from York, was arrested at Newcastle Central Station at 08:00 GMT on Saturday.

North Tyneside Magistrates' Court imposed a £660 fine under the Coronavirus Act 2020 on Monday.

Dinou, who did not enter a plea, was also ordered to pay a victim surcharge of £66 and costs of £85.

If you read the whole article there was also a possible issue about fare evasion which actually forms the majority of the fine.

I’m not sure what this has to do with legitimately going to the PO or PO Box with eBay items though. 

Here's the link - which doesn't mention fare evasion:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-york-north-yorkshire-52121216

https://news.sky.com/story/coronavirus-woman-fined-650-for-refusing-to-tell-police-why-she-was-out-11966813

This link ^^^^ does mention it but says the fare evasion fine was £85 & the £660 was for 'breaking COVID-19 regulations'.

Daily Mail doesn't mention fare evasion and refers to £85 as 'costs' - as does the BBC article and The Independent.

Why would you refuse to say who you were and why you were at a railway station when challenged by police?

I agree it has nothing to do with the original post.

soolin

Lazydayz71 said:

soolin said:

I’m not sure what this has to do with legitimately going to the PO or PO Box with eBay items though. 

Errrr, because the OP was about someone going out when it wasn't essential....!?

Read it again, the lady was fined because she refused to say why she was loitering in a train station. 

“They approached Dinou and engaged with her in an attempt to understand her reasons for essential travel, but following several more attempts by officers to explain and encourage she refused to speak to officers.”
“ "Having explored all options, Dinou was arrested on suspicion of travel fraud and breaching the restrictions imposed under the new Coronavirus Act 2020."

I would seriously advise against anyone who is out to go to the PO or Post Box to refuse to talk to the police, a simple explanation is all that will suffice. We really need to be careful about outting a ‘spin’ on news articles, the press are bad enough with alarmist headlines, but at this moment in time there is NO restriction on essential travel , or trips to buy food or to go to the PO , we are even allowed out to exercise.

i don’t think scaremongering helps at all, and we should all be aware what is allowed and what is not. If the rules are tightened then we can all adjust our lifestyles appropriately. If people don’t want to post then that’s absolutely fine, and likewise if people want to carry on as best they can within the current rules, then that is also fine. 

Pollycat

soolin said:

Lazydayz71 said:

soolin said:

I’m not sure what this has to do with legitimately going to the PO or PO Box with eBay items though. 

Errrr, because the OP was about someone going out when it wasn't essential....!?

Read it again, the lady was fined because she refused to say why she was loitering in a train station. 

“They approached Dinou and engaged with her in an attempt to understand her reasons for essential travel, but following several more attempts by officers to explain and encourage she refused to speak to officers.”
“ "Having explored all options, Dinou was arrested on suspicion of travel fraud and breaching the restrictions imposed under the new Coronavirus Act 2020."

I would seriously advise against anyone who is out to go to the PO or Post Box to refuse to talk to the police, a simple explanation is all that will suffice. We really need to be careful about outting a ‘spin’ on news articles, the press are bad enough with alarmist headlines, but at this moment in time there is NO restriction on essential travel , or trips to buy food or to go to the PO , we are even allowed out to exercise.

i don’t think scaremongering helps at all, and we should all be aware what is allowed and what is not. If the rules are tightened then we can all adjust our lifestyles appropriately. If people don’t want to post then that’s absolutely fine, and likewise if people want to carry on as best they can within the current rules, then that is also fine. 

I agree.

Has there been any confirmation that the original post - that was got 2nd hand - is actually accurate?

Lazydayz71

soolin said:

Lazydayz71 said:

soolin said:

I’m not sure what this has to do with legitimately going to the PO or PO Box with eBay items though. 

Errrr, because the OP was about someone going out when it wasn't essential....!?

Read it again, the lady was fined because she refused to say why she was loitering in a train station.

“They approached Dinou and engaged with her in an attempt to understand her reasons for essential travel...

Like I said, the story is about someone being questioned about essential travel, as in the original post. LOL

NBLondon

Yes....   and then being arrested for being evasive.  As opposed to the OP being about hearsay about someone being fined for posting a parcel.

prowla

I was doing my daily exercise by going to the Post Office (which is on the allowed list of shops to be open)...

soolin

NBLondon said:

Yes....   and then being arrested for being evasive.  As opposed to the OP being about hearsay about someone being fined for posting a parcel.

No, I belong to several eBay type forums and this has not been raised on any of them. In fact with several thousand (probably hundreds of thousands) members in many of these forums no one has even yet been stopped by police and asked why they were out. Many sellers have closed their eBay shops now so the pool of people still using the post office is getting smaller but is still fairly significant. 

elsien

So for the sake of argument, because its not beyond the realms of possibility that on overzealous/overly authoritarian police person does hand out a fine that you wish to dispute, is there any mechanism to challenge it?
I realise that would make you as popular as a fox in a hen house, but does there not have to be some redress if the police do take to thoroughly over - stepping the mark? 

ailey

Pollycat said:

soolin said:

Lazydayz71 said:

soolin said:

I’m not sure what this has to do with legitimately going to the PO or PO Box with eBay items though. 

Errrr, because the OP was about someone going out when it wasn't essential....!?

Read it again, the lady was fined because she refused to say why she was loitering in a train station. 

“They approached Dinou and engaged with her in an attempt to understand her reasons for essential travel, but following several more attempts by officers to explain and encourage she refused to speak to officers.”
“ "Having explored all options, Dinou was arrested on suspicion of travel fraud and breaching the restrictions imposed under the new Coronavirus Act 2020."

I would seriously advise against anyone who is out to go to the PO or Post Box to refuse to talk to the police, a simple explanation is all that will suffice. We really need to be careful about outting a ‘spin’ on news articles, the press are bad enough with alarmist headlines, but at this moment in time there is NO restriction on essential travel , or trips to buy food or to go to the PO , we are even allowed out to exercise.

i don’t think scaremongering helps at all, and we should all be aware what is allowed and what is not. If the rules are tightened then we can all adjust our lifestyles appropriately. If people don’t want to post then that’s absolutely fine, and likewise if people want to carry on as best they can within the current rules, then that is also fine. 

I agree.

Has there been any confirmation that the original post - that was got 2nd hand - is actually accurate?

Being the OP, I passed on what the reliable person who runs our local Post Office said, as the lady herself told him that had happened to her. I certainly didn't intend to do any scaremongering but just to inform people and let them make up their minds on the best course of action for them in relation to going out to post EBay parcels. Personally I think that if a Police Officer did stop someone to ask the reason they were out, then they might say that EBay parcels are not essential. As someone replied earlier on this thread, I suppose people could tell 'little white lies' in saying that it was medication for a relative or whatever. Staying at home is certainly safer for people, with today's UK figures of those suffering from Coronavirus standing at 29,474 with 2,352 deaths so far.

lisyloo

licences added added? 

hot fuzz 

Off licences were added once the supermarket shelves were empty,
seriously you can find it on bbc

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-52033260