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Fraudulent/doctored CCTV Images?? (Attached)
Hi,
Hope you are all well.
This is not the typical dammit I’ve got a ticket what do I do post, hence a new thread.
This is a question whether these companies – District Enforcement Limited (being enforced by Gladstones) in this case - are doctoring CCTV pictures? Is there any history/possibility of this?
In brief the situation:
I entered a car park just after 1pm on a particular day. I have never used this car park before and never afterwards and distinctintly remember as soon as we went in, a space became apparent outside on the road so I left the car park. This was all within 5 minutes, absolutely max 6-7 mins (with kids in the car, there’s only so long you can sit in a car and doomscroll…)
Lo and behold this car park company - District Enforcement Limited – sends me a fine to pay, which I obviously ignore (which I tend to with most tickets until/if ever it reaches court stage).
Anyway many months and wasted tree paper later its now going to court and they say – and have provided pictures – see attached of me apparently arriving OVER AN HOUR earlier than I did.
This absolutely did not happen so I am fuming. As mentioned I have never parked in this car park before and did not ‘double dip’ on that day or any other day.
I am contesting at CCJ stage, some kind of mediation hearing end of June.
Now if I was guilty – and I have been in the past of ignoring these cowboy ticket companies where I did actually park – I would have paid at this stage and just avoid court.
I work as a locum health care professional so just by missing this half a day for a telephone mediation call I am losing out on £500.
So this particular case I’m doing more on principle, really – I hope – on behalf of others who don’t have the means to take time off work and fight this case.
My questions are:
- Is there a history of this at all? - Fake or 'mistaken' CCTV images??
- How are they producing these CCTV pictures (see attached)? Since this absolutely did not happen and I did not ‘double dip’.
- Given they claim to have - and provided alleged - CCTV footage, am I fighting a losing case?
- What happens after this ‘mediation call’ – are there more hearings? As mentioned I am losing out a fair bit just from not attending work. Even if I ‘win’, I still lose if that makes sense. (the charge is £280, I lose £500 by not attending half a day work as mentioned. Unless they pay loss of earnings?)
- What would general advice be from here?
Thanks for any advice/tips.
Comments
-
Is it just a mediation stage call with the mediation service. ?
Or
Was the case transferred from the CNBC in Northampton to your local civil court. ?
If its the latter, an NOA, do you have a hearing date at your local court ? When is it ?
Reading your story above its hard to work out where you are at in the process
An ex copper using fraudulent pictures. ? Who would have thought. ? ( I thought that DE had gone bust. ? )
More likely to be the clocks were out, possibly on GMT instead of BST maybe ?
The clocks went forward 2 weeks earlier
Post a redacted picture of the POC from the lower left of the claim form below after hiding the VRM details first
3 -
My immediate thought were the pictures taken on different devices and they were an hour out so you arrived at 1310 and left at 1317.
3 -
The fact the shadow does not seem to have moved suggests to me that an hour has not passed between those two images.
9 -
something fishy - look at the shadows the yellow marker poles are making - they would have moved a lot more in over 1 hour
6 -
https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/company/07346382/filing-history
3 -
DE entered Voluntary Liquidation on 28th January 2026.
2 -
I work as a locum health care professional so just by missing this half a day for a telephone mediation call I am losing out on £500.
Cancel that half day off IF this is only Court Mediation (date emailed to you?).
Nobody takes time off for Mediation as attendance isn't compulsory (as long as it isn't a Dispute Resolution Hearing with a judge?).
You don't gave to take a Mediation call - you can miss Mediation and it affects nothing. The call is ONLY about the Mediator leaning on Defendants to settle. Takes two minutes to say "no offer" as per the easy 8 steps in the Template Defence thread.
However, I am concerned that this might be a DR Hearing and you've missed a deadline to submit your own WS and evidence?
Did you hear about this 'mediation' by email or in a Court letter? If it was a letter then surely it's a Hearing Order.
Show us that letter. Both pages.
The clue is: if Gladstones sent a WS bundle then you had the same deadline. Re-read the Order page 2.
PRIVATE 'PCN'? DON'T PAY BUT DON'T IGNORE IT (except N.Ireland).
CLICK at the top or bottom of any page where it says:
Home»Motoring»Parking Tickets Fines & Parking - read the NEWBIES THREAD4 -
These are from the same camera.
As these are stills from moving image CCTV (not ANPR) you need to robustly challenge the supposed timestamps which you allege were doctored and the only way for DE to prove otherwise is for them to exhibit the CCTV moving footage.
In your WS, put them to strict proof of that timeline by disclosing the moving images and say you are willing to swear under oath if the judge deems it necessary.
I'd exhibit the UKPC news articles from some 10 years ago (easy to Google 'UKPC doctored parking images') where they doctored timestamps, which shows a judge how easy it is for a parking firm to do so.
And you should mention that DE are in liquidation - study the documents un the Companies House URL from @ChirpyChicken - so this seems desperate. In your view, it looks like a last gasp attempt to choose a victim defendant or several, hoover up some last payments from frightened people and dupe the court in the few that reach hearings.
You should also say in your WS that it is also questionable whether they are still a trading legal entity which has power to litigate.
DO NOT USE THE WORD 'FRAUD'.
I STRONGLY WARN YOU: DON'T!
If you paint a picture of 'wholly unreasonable conduct' then you CAN have your costs as long as you file and serve a costs assessment with your WS. Wholly unreasonable behaviour is a high bar & your burden to prove. Go for it!
PRIVATE 'PCN'? DON'T PAY BUT DON'T IGNORE IT (except N.Ireland).
CLICK at the top or bottom of any page where it says:
Home»Motoring»Parking Tickets Fines & Parking - read the NEWBIES THREAD8 -
This is a BBC news article on the subject:
As for the words Fraud, Scam these can have legal meanings as well as the everyday looser meanings so should be avoided
From the Plain Language Commission:
"The BPA has surely become one of the most socially dangerous organisations in the UK"6 -
Thanks for the replies so far.
So I replied to the County Court that I would defend this claim.
The upcoming 'hearing':
Claim number: _____
Parties: DISTRICT ENFORCEMENT LIMITED v _____
Your telephone mediation appointment
Appointment date: 26/06/2026
Appointment time slot: 09:30 to 12:30
Your confidential telephone mediation appointment has been booked for the above date and time slot. The mediator may call at any point within your timeslot to start the appointment. Please be ready to accept a call at any point during your timeslot. Your appointment will last for around one hour from the point at which the mediator calls. The mediator will call from a withheld number. Make sure that withheld/private numbers are not blocked on your phone.
The mediator will call both parties separately – you will not talk directly to the other side. They will try to help you come to an agreement with the other party. If an agreement is reached at mediation the case will not need to progress to court.
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