Convicted. No car tax, fine paid to avoid jail

N

name25

Guest
Dear Board,

I was doing some work on my house and garden and had to move a disused car from the back of my house to the public road in front of my house for the duration of the work <edit: five days>. The car is registered to my previous home address. I own the property at the previous address but the property is disused and infrequently visited.

I received a letter to my previous address informing me that I was to spend time in jail if I didn't pay my fine for non display of tax in a public place for this vehicle. I'm not keen on spending any time in any jail so I paid the fine. I didn't get a summons or a chance to appear in court and state and prove what I was doing and maybe explain why I had a disused car. I paid the fine to avoid jail <edit: and because the fine was specified by a court, this is the second in my life> .

I have a conviction that I don't want and that is hurting my future <edit:and present and significantly>. I feel that I could have made a sincere, truthful statement to someone that would have avoided the conviction. Ideally I'd like to say to the Judge that I didn't receive the summons, I didn't have a chance to defend myself and though I accept that I was wrong, a criminal conviction <is> over the top. I didn't deal with any Guard on the spot and didn't get any ticket.

I would appreciate comments offered even if very blunt.

Thank you for reading this,

Very reluctant Criminal.

A vehicle owned my me was placed beside a public road without a tax disc.
I can show tax and insurance for the car I was driving at the time.
I was not and am not driving the car.
I have CCTV showing why and how the car was moved from the garden to the road.
 
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You failed to notify vehicle registration in Shannon of your change of address, so summonses etc. apparently failed to reach you, you used the vehicle on a public road without tax and were detected and prosecuted. I fail to see the problem as all the steps which need to be taken to avoid the situation were your responsibility and in your control and you failed to take them.
 
This opening post feels a little iffy. Also the one just above.
 
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Sniff....Sniff........Whats that smell?

Yes, I think I know what it is.....Sniff...

Ah yes its Bull Sh........
 
Sorry Board, I agree that it was my inaction that caused the conviction. I don't feel sorry for myself. Thank you for your comments. I paid the fine. But I don't think it's fair that I didn't get a ticket or a summons, the notification I got was 'pay your fine or come to jail'. I have been honest in my outline of the events as I know them and I don't know all of them.

Not BS and not cry me a river. Thak you for your comments.
 
Dear Mathepac,

Thank you for your reply. The conviction was avoidable by me not allowing the vehicle off private property. Do you have a view on me not having a chance to go to court? The vehicle was not mechanically propelled <edit to add>.

Thanks
 
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name25 said:
Dear Mathepac,

Thank you for your reply. The conviction was avoidable by me not allowing the vehicle off private property. Do you have a view on me not having a chance to go to court? The vehicle was not mechanically propelled <edit to add>.

Thanks
Click to expand...
The vehicle does not even have to be 'mechanically propelled' or have an engine for that matter.
 
Are summonses not supposed to be delivered by hand or by registered post?

I have experience of this, where I never received a summons, and so was convicted in my absence, of speeding.

I appealed to the district court, but the judge dismissed the appeal within seconds... my appeal was on the basis that I never received a summons., and so never got a chance to defend myself. The guard said he had posted a summons... not by registered post, or personnally.. just by regular post, and the judge accepted this. I was furious.

So then I had to appeal to the circuit court,... and once there the state chose not to contest the case. This was sickening in my view, and illustrated to me that justice is hard enough to come by.

Incidentally my defence on the original speeding ticket, had I been given a chance would have been that I never received a printout of the speed, as was required at that time, and may still be. The DPP should never have allowed the original case to go ahead as the state did not have the necessary paperwork to secure a conviction... so why did he?

And why was the district court judge so quick to convict given that there was no compelling evidence of a summons having issued?.. and why was the District Court judge so quick to dismiss the appeal, given again that there was no evidence of me having been informed of my case?

I feel the state will steam-roller people into convictions that they'd have problems securing in a court... and the DPP knows this.
 
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