Fined!

My dad got a registered letter today which turned out to be a €125 fine for littering. He can't remember what he did but he does have a habit of throwing fag butts out his window so we think it's that.

However the wrong address was on the notice and my dad was never in the area that was listed as where the offence took place.

What kind of ways of appeal are open to him? I mean there's no proof he did anything so it would simply come down to his word against his accuser wouldn't it?

Access

Deleted User wrote:

He can't remember what he did but he does have a habit of throwing fag butts out his window so we think it's that.

I have to be fair here, you just answered your own question... pay the fine and it might teach him not to do it again. And if you think you have any comeback on wrong address/appeal, your seriously mistaken.

It would end up costing you more in time and effort and appeals would normally end in your local district court.

Hagar

I hope he didn't throw the empty envelope out the window...

Mexicola

Deleted User wrote:

My dad got a registered letter today which turned out to be a €125 fine for littering. He can't remember what he did but he does have a habit of throwing fag butts out his window so we think it's that.

Excellent news indeed! There should be a lot more of this.
Pay the damn fine.

cyclopath2001

I had a passenger throw a lit cigarette out the window of a car as I passed in a cycle lane. I picked it up and handed it back. From the reaction of herself and boyfriend, you'd think I'd thrown a live grenade in.

Lucky for me, they were stuck in traffic.

Pherekydes

Deleted User wrote:

I mean there's no proof he did anything so it would simply come down to his word against his accuser wouldn't it?

Eh, no. We have your written testimony, too.

P.S. Maybe he'll stop littering now?

Access

Slow coach wrote:

Eh, no. We have your written testimony, too.

Ha ha! Brilliant!

Guy:Incognito

Deleted User wrote:

What kind of ways of appeal are open to him? I mean there's no proof he did anything so it would simply come down to his word against his accuser wouldn't it?

I dont think that works.

"no way it was me judge, that gard is lieing, i never robbed that bank"

G Luxel

Well i say good for him if he threw something out the window. I dont have any pity for these people who throw things out of the window whether driving or stationary. Its ok to put things in a bin but I often see plenty of people throwing cigarette butts out of the window, particularly at night. So I would feel sorry for someone whos convertible hood is down and turns around to find the back seat on fire........:D Sounds like the op's dad didnt get as standard an ashtray for his vehicle as thats what their purpose is for....:p

Thanks for all the sympathy in the posts so far! He was still happily smoking away at the wheel today. I have warned him of the safety implications of doing so and had hoped the fine would change his ways but old habits die hard.

Yes why doesn't he use the car ashtray? He's got a tough appointment tomorrow with Limerick County Council handing over €125 smackers...he's taking it well though.

littlejukka

i've had lit cigarettes land on my windscreen on dark evening after being discarded from the driver ahead. small shower of sparks and a minor heart attack. it's incredibly irresponsible, without going in to the littering issue.

Guy:Incognito

Deleted User wrote:

Thanks for all the sympathy in the posts so far! He was still happily smoking away at the wheel today. I have warned him of the safety implications of doing so and had hoped the fine would change his ways but old habits die hard.
.

Smoking is a habit, throwing the butts out the window isnt, its just irresponsible.

Our man in Havana

littlejukka wrote:

i've had lit cigarettes land on my windscreen on dark evening after being discarded from the driver ahead. small shower of sparks and a minor heart attack. it's incredibly irresponsible, without going in to the littering issue.

+1

Being on a bike brings it into perspective. €125 is not half enough for such scumbags.

kdevitt

Hang on a minute here - I've no problem with someone getting done for throwing cigarette butts out the window of their car, or for throwing anything out the window of their car for that matter - but the OP has said his father was never in the area where the offence is said to have taken place.

I'd definitely contest it if he can prove he wasn't in the location of the offence at that time. Would make it overly easy for people with a grudge to have people fined if they wanted to just point the finger.

wil

Better check his alibi before they produce the mobile phone receiver mast records to show he was there. Perhaps smoking doesnt prevent Alzheimers after all

MercMad

kdevitt wrote:

Hang on a minute here - I've no problem with someone getting done for throwing cigarette butts out the window of their car, or for throwing anything out the window of their car for that matter - but the OP has said his father was never in the area where the offence is said to have taken place.

I'd definitely contest it if he can prove he wasn't in the location of the offence at that time. Would make it overly easy for people with a grudge to have people fined if they wanted to just point the finger.

..........yeah thats what I was wondering !!

How didn they give him a registered letter if it had the wrong address on it ?
If he wasn't there................then it wasn't him, so dont pay it !

End of story !

Stephen

Are there any other smokers that drive his car? Maybe he wasn't there but his car was.

craichoe

Deleted User wrote:

My dad got a registered letter today which turned out to be a €125 fine for littering. He can't remember what he did but he does have a habit of throwing fag butts out his window so we think it's that.

However the wrong address was on the notice and my dad was never in the area that was listed as where the offence took place.

What kind of ways of appeal are open to him? I mean there's no proof he did anything so it would simply come down to his word against his accuser wouldn't it?

You can request the details of the offense, where it occurred and what exactly happened. You can't own up to something if you don't know what it is.

If in fact he wasnt in the area, go through bank statements and see if you can proved he was charged for something in a different area at the time. i.e. how could he be in the area committing the alleged offense and by in a different area withdrawing money from an atm.

Just an example.

I think you should contest this

TwoShedsJackson

Ignore it, there was an article in the Irish Times yesterday about how some ridiculously low percentage of litter fines are actually paid, and they won't bother taking him to court or any of that if he maintains he wasn't in the area at the time of the alleged offence. But tell him to stop littering too

Robbo

wil wrote:

Better check his alibi before they produce the mobile phone receiver mast records to show he was there. Perhaps smoking doesnt prevent Alzheimers after all

Personally, the mobile phone record angle is a little OTT. I'd merely call in Horatio from CSI and get a number of instantaneous DNA tests done on the cigarette butt whilst crosschecking it with known sales of that brand of smoke in the area.

Only then would I rest peacefully at night.

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

MercMad wrote:

How didn they give him a registered letter if it had the wrong address on it ?
!

Geez! They don't send the fine to the address where the littering took place. It goes to his home address.

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

TwoShedsJackson wrote:

Ignore it, there was an article in the Irish Times yesterday about how some ridiculously low percentage of litter fines are actually paid...,

At your peril:eek: . Our local paper has dozens of cases reported each week where the council has gone to court for non payment of litter fines (many for a cigerette butt). The judge usually settles for €1000 plus cost!

wil

I think hed be better off just paying the fine and chalking it up to the number of times he wasnt caught.

Robbo wrote:

Personally, the mobile phone record angle is a little OTT. I'd merely call in Horatio from CSI and get a number of instantaneous DNA tests done on the cigarette butt whilst crosschecking it with known sales of that brand of smoke in the area.

Only then would I rest peacefully at night.

Id be extremely careful about going down that route, probably find he had xyz chromosome, the polluters gene whatever about cocaine and alcohol traces. If he waits Horatio could have him connected to a string of butts from here to Belfast by tomorrow. :cool:

Deleted User wrote:

he does have a habit of throwing fag butts out his window.

With his son as a character witness he's damned as it is.

Access

Ffs! Pay The Fine!