Dates for paying a fixed penalty fine

wozzza72

Hi
My other half was recently pulled over on the way back from Wales (Gwynedd) for having an incorrectly spaced number plate. We received a Conditional Offer Of Fixed Penalty  about 10 days ago. She was pulled over on the 15th March and the date of the fine letter is dated 15th April. I just want to check that these kind of fines aren't meant to be sent with 28 days as it is £100 we could well do without paying at the minute due to myself being furloughed and my self employed partner earning nothing.
I'm just looking for some info please not any dad type lecture on the number plate
Incidentally, the 'offer' is the fine and not court proceedings. What could I expect if I went to court as a fine?
Cheers

452

Fixed penalty notices need to be paid within 28 days. 

wozzza72

Hi 
Thanks for the reply but the question wasn't about how long we have to pay but how long the fine letter took to be sent out. The letter was dated 31 days after the offence. 

caprikid1

It might be different as she was pulled and accepted the offence ? I think you will waste time chasing this on a few days.

TadleyBaggie

I think the point they trying to make is that the CoFPN was sent after 28 days of being pulled over and they though this might be a get out. It's not, since your other half was pulled at the time (and presumably warned) there is no time limit in issuing a "fine", apart from any prosecution needing to be commenced within 6 months of the offence.

Taking it to court could see a higher fine plus costs being added on.

KimJongUn88

Yes, taking it to Court take out out of the fixed penalty scheme and into the realms of higher fines dependent on how !!!!!! off the magistrates are on the day. Also, if you took it to Court, what would your defence be? Surely the number plate was misplaced and there’s no argument about that. 

Car_54

That offence does not require a warning, either in writing or at the roadside.

452

wozzza72 said:

Hi 
Thanks for the reply but the question wasn't about how long we have to pay but how long the fine letter took to be sent out. The letter was dated 31 days after the offence. 

Ok, I'm with you now. They have six months to deal with a summary only offence so 31 days is well inside. 

AdrianC

wozzza72 said:

My other half was recently pulled over on the way back from Wales (Gwynedd) for having an incorrectly spaced number plate. We received a Conditional Offer Of Fixed Penalty  about 10 days ago. She was pulled over on the 15th March and the date of the fine letter is dated 15th April. I just want to check that these kind of fines aren't meant to be sent with 28 days as it is £100 we could well do without paying at the minute due to myself being furloughed and my self employed partner earning nothing.

You're thinking of 14 days for the initial s172 request for driver information to come through from a photo. That bit was done roadside. Thereafter, they have six months to proceed, and it's well within that.

I'm just looking for some info please not any dad type lecture on the number plate

Lemme guess, that one's already been "discussed" domestically, right...?

Good. Utterly self-inflicted, you muppet...

Incidentally, the 'offer' is the fine and not court proceedings. What could I expect if I went to court as a fine?

One hell of a lot larger penalty, plus costs.
Take the FPN. At least there's no points.

And... Take the hint and swap the plates back to legal ones. Go on, how bad were they?

Car_54

AdrianC said:

wozzza72 said:

My other half was recently pulled over on the way back from Wales (Gwynedd) for having an incorrectly spaced number plate. We received a Conditional Offer Of Fixed Penalty  about 10 days ago. She was pulled over on the 15th March and the date of the fine letter is dated 15th April. I just want to check that these kind of fines aren't meant to be sent with 28 days as it is £100 we could well do without paying at the minute due to myself being furloughed and my self employed partner earning nothing.

You're thinking of 14 days for the initial s172 request for driver information to come through from a photo. That bit was done roadside.

It may seem pedantic, but the 14-day limit applies to the NIP, not the s172 request. So even if a NIP is genuinely late, the s172 is valid and must be answered.

However, neither NIP nor roadside warning is required for a number-plate offence.

Scrapit

It's good plod have got time to be pulling cars like this now.