summons to court abroad

luxcoupe1

Hi all, just a quick question re an incident i had last year abroad. I went to Amsterdam for 3 days and on my final night there i was caught urinating on a wall by the local police (yes i know, disgusting). I had quite a bit to drink was arrested and ordered to pay 90 euro fine, i refused to pay and was held in a cell for a few hours released and handed a summons to appear in court a number of months later.Obviously i did'nt appear. They took my passport number etc and let me on my way that night. I am now thinking of returning to Amsterdam for a short break later this summer. Will there be any hassle when my passport is scanned at the airport?? Not sure where i stand. I know the obvious solution was to pay the fine but stupidity took over. As bad as it sounds it was'nt an unpleasant experience as the local police were very nice about it and i was very apologetic also !!

ABajaninCork

I'm no expert, but I would imagine there might well be!

Why would you think the Dutch police having scanned your passport, would then take no further action if (when) you returned?

If (when)they catch up with you, smile, apologise, lay it on thick. Tell them you were scared, needed to get home. And for goodness sake pay your fine! Is it possible you can find out beforehand and pay it before you go?

cojomo2

if ya cant do the time, don't do the crime:cool:

luxcoupe1

Thanks cojmo thats very helpful !!:rolleyes:

The option to pay the 90 euro fine was an on-the-spot fine that i refused to pay. The summons was handed to me hours later when i was released and i was due in court there months later and i obviously did'nt hop on a plane for a 5 mins hearing. Just curious if it'll be on record still

cojomo2

no one really knows for sure(well no one here anyway I'd say) but because it's such a minor offense, I would say it's unlikely it was recorded on you passport.

If I'm wrong, I would imagine it would be something that could be sorted out quickly and easy(but may involve a paying the original fine plus another).

If you have you heart set on going back there, I wouldn't let this stop you going back.

ABajaninCork

Just curious to know - Why did you refuse to pay the fine?

luxcoupe1

to be honest it was pure stupidity, i thought if i refused to pay the fine they'd leave me go either way and i'd save another 90 quid lol, had a bit to drink and was just being stubborn tbh and yes i know if i'd have paid the fine then i woild'nt be in this predicament:rolleyes: ah well you live and learn !!!

Reloc8

My instinct is that when the summons came before a court, the court will have ordered either one of :-

a) A fine (probably higher than on the spot), or
b) A warrant for your arrest

Anticipating people's eyebrows raising so high that they interfere with the higher brain functions at the notion of an arrest warrant issuing, this could and does happen in this country in not dissimilar cases.

Also, in most countries, failing to appear in court is an offence in itself (in Ireland it carries a potential 6 month prison sentence) and this could be 'on the system' too.

So, I suggest the real question is, will they pick it up on your further entry into the Netherlands ?

Yahoo answers says this http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20090812115028AAA60e9 (I only note it because it claims to have been replied to by a Dutch native).

In your case I'd probably telephone the Dutch embassy and ask what is likely to be the story. I'm a coward so I'd say I was ringing on behalf of eh a friend or something. They will probably give you a worst-case scenario. I suspect the fine is against your name and in the event of you being stopped at the Dutch end you'll have to fork out whatever the fine ordered was, perhaps plus interest and penalties (which some European Countries apply to unpaid fines).

ScouseMouse

Last year in Tenerife, the front page of the paper was about a couple of lads arrested at the airport.

On a previous visit, they had trashed a hotel room, but their passport numbers had been noted as all visitors to spain are.

They skipped bail, but made the mistake of coming back.

As soon as their names/DOB's/whatever, went into the computers, alarms went off at the airport.

I think you may have a problem.

One way or another, you need to get it sorted. Amsterdam is a useful transit point for long distance.

Our man in Havana

If you enter the Netherlands via another Schengen country it will not be detected.

Bosco boy

Haddockman wrote: »

If you enter the Netherlands via another Schengen country it will not be detected.

A high price to pay for a weak bladder and a bad attitude, contact the local police station (where you were arrested and summoned) and ask them if their is an outstanding warrant for you, if their is and it's a fine then ask them how you can pay it, Visa etc. when the fine is paid the matter is closed. If their is an arrest warrant you could deal with it by arrangement with them on your next trip, it will should only result in a slightly higher fine and a large apology. If you wouldnt pay the fine when you were arrested you must have had a pretty bad attitude while in custody. I dont know what deals Ryanair are doing to Schengan countries but I'd say they are a lot more than the origional fine!!!:D

John C

Haddockman wrote: »

If you enter the Netherlands via another Schengen country it will not be detected.

When people enter a Schengen country there are still spot checks.
This happens at Munich Airport in the Schengen arrivals area.

Also one can have an identification check when one is in a car or train, witness to a crime or an accident, if one is a victim of a theft, mugging, accident and so on.

Here is an example of a random identification in Bavaria.
http://www.channel4.com/news/articles/world/15m%20thief%20virtually%20penniless/2076457
The border police asked only two people in the entire carriage for IDs. Did Herr K's body language give him away?


Schengen area: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schengen_Area

It consists of Norway, Iceland, Switzerland and 22 EU countries in mainland Europe. The Netherland's border nations Belgium and Germany have fully implemented the Schengen agreement.

Our man in Havana

I don't think the German police would hold someone on behalf of the Netherlands for a simple fine. I doubt the Dutch police would issue an international arrest warrant for something so trivial.

Now in the case of Herr K, there would have been an international arrest warrant issued which could be acted on by any police force in Europe.

2 different, 2 vastly different cases. I think some people are delighting in winding up the OP with scaremongering over something that would be considered trival in most places.

Bosco boy

Haddockman wrote: »

I don't think the German police would hold someone on behalf of the Netherlands for a simple fine. I doubt the Dutch police would issue an international arrest warrant for something so trivial.

Now in the case of Herr K, there would have been an international arrest warrant issued which could be acted on by any police force in Europe.

2 different, 2 vastly different cases. I think some people are delighting in winding up the OP with scaremongering over something that would be considered trival in most places.[/QUOTE

This could become known as the "P(ee)" case!!!!

John C

John C wrote: »

When people enter a Schengen country there are still spot checks.
This happens at Munich Airport in the Schengen arrivals area.

Also one can have an identification check when one is in a car or train, witness to a crime or an accident, if one is a victim of a theft, mugging, accident and so on.

Here is an example of a random identification in Bavaria.
http://www.channel4.com/news/articles/world/15m%20thief%20virtually%20penniless/2076457
The border police asked only two people in the entire carriage for IDs. Did Herr K's body language give him away?


Schengen area: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schengen_Area

It consists of Norway, Iceland, Switzerland and 22 EU countries in mainland Europe. The Netherland's border nations Belgium and Germany have fully implemented the Schengen agreement.

The overall point is that if a person enters The Netherlands from another Schengen country there is still a chance albeit a a small chnce that they will be stopped by police and their record will be checked. If they are in the Netherlands for two weeks holidays lots of incidents can happen, where their name tentatively could go into the police computer.

That example of Herr K in Germany was only to bring out the point of random checks in Schengen countries. THe posters who say that the German police would have no details of a minor infringement in the Netherlands are right. It was the only example to hand of routine ID checks in a Schengen country.

Victor

Haddockman wrote: »

I don't think the German police would hold someone on behalf of the Netherlands for a simple fine. I doubt the Dutch police would issue an international arrest warrant for something so trivial.

In certain countries, Romania comes to mind (but check!) there is mandatory prosecution and even minor offences like this are getting international arrest warrants. They are msotly being ignored by other countries.

Ricardo G

Gonna ring the said police station and ask what the situation is regarding the fine !! Not going to risk entering the country without knowing what the story is. Thanks for the advice

MagicSean

Could also pose trouble if you looked for a visa to the states. I believe they check people quite thoroughly.

Our man in Havana

I believe they check people quite thoroughly.

You would be very surprised. :eek:

LFC5Times

Better off getting a new passport to save all the hassle, will be cheaper than any fine etc and if you are not going for a while, I'm sure the passport office will have a passport ready for you.

ABajaninCork

LFC5Times wrote: »

Better off getting a new passport to save all the hassle, will be cheaper than any fine etc and if you are not going for a while, I'm sure the passport office will have a passport ready for you.

Hmmm - Like I said earlier. Why not just pay the bloody fine? MUCH cheaper and easier in the long run. It seems to be an awful lot of ducking and diving for the sake of a few euro. You'll feel better for it and won't have to hide any more....

griffdaddy

It's strange that they arrested you. I live in Amsterdam and was caught pissing in a dustbin at about 6am, there was literally nothing open and I wasn't even that drunk, I just needed to go unbelievably bad and had no option. They took my name and address and I got a 90 euro fine in the post, it's gone up to 110 now cause I haven't got around to paying it. Did you get the increased fine in the post? That's supposed to be part of the pre-court procedure here. I'm half thinking of not paying cause I'm moving back to Ireland in July, but then I don't want to get a summons and not show up to court, because, as mentioned here, that's a more serious offence. However I asked a cop the next day after i was caught how I could appeal it and initially she thought i lived in Ireland and just told me to forget about it as the Dutch system probably would too, take from that what you want.