neverinswindon
New Member
A few days ago my mum got a letter (in my name) from a company called Marstons High Court Enforcement Officers, which says I owe them £700 for something they do not specify but relates to a fine imposed on my by Swindon Magistrates Court. It does not specify what the fine is for.
Now, I was a bit baffled by all this, not least because I've never been to Swindon. The only thing I can think it might be relates to a train fine I was given in August 2017, though when I called Marstons they were not able to give me any detail on the case and asked me to call back again. Now, assuming it is the train thing from 2017, the situation is as follows: I did not live in the UK at the time, nor do I live in the UK now. I was on holiday visiting for a friend's wedding in Cornwall and had a ticket from London to St Austell. During the train journey I learned it would be better to get off at Truro (one stop further) because people could pick us up there. No problem, I thought.
So I got off at Truro, whereupon I discovered there was a ticket barrier to exit the station. I stood there wondering what to do, and a guy came over and asked to see my ticket. I explained that my ticket only went to St Austell and that I'd got off a stop later. He then said that as I'd attempted to leave the station without a valid ticket that I'd have to pay a fine. I was incensed by this and refused to pay. I would have been happy to pay the difference in ticket fare but a fine? It was something like £40 he was asking for. I was livid, and refused. So he took my details (foreign driving license - though I am a UK citizen) and gave me a thing to pay it in the next 28 days or whatever. Note: when he took my details he had insisted on me giving him a UK address, so I gave the address of the hotel where I was staying, safe in the knowledge nothing would arrive there before I left the country again a few days later. I promptly forgot all about it.
Flash forward to the other day and somehow this has ended up in Swindon Magistrates Court (I mean, it has to be that, otherwise it's a case of ID fraud, I can't imagine what else it could be) and somehow they've got my mum's address and sent this threatening letter saying the lads will be on their way round in the next 14 days if I don't give them £700.
My mum has sent them evidence that I don't live there (council tax records) with recorded delivery mail, to both Marstons, Swindon Magistrates Court and the High Court in London.
So my questions are:
1. Given that this clearly been through the whole escalation process because they couldn't get in touch with me, and I forgot all about it, what happens if I don't pay?
2. Do I already have this on my criminal record at this point?
3. Will this show up on an ACRO check?
Last but not least: if I do pay the fine, will this still be on my criminal record, if the answer to questions 2 and 3 is "yes" ?
Thank you all very much in advance.
Now, I was a bit baffled by all this, not least because I've never been to Swindon. The only thing I can think it might be relates to a train fine I was given in August 2017, though when I called Marstons they were not able to give me any detail on the case and asked me to call back again. Now, assuming it is the train thing from 2017, the situation is as follows: I did not live in the UK at the time, nor do I live in the UK now. I was on holiday visiting for a friend's wedding in Cornwall and had a ticket from London to St Austell. During the train journey I learned it would be better to get off at Truro (one stop further) because people could pick us up there. No problem, I thought.
So I got off at Truro, whereupon I discovered there was a ticket barrier to exit the station. I stood there wondering what to do, and a guy came over and asked to see my ticket. I explained that my ticket only went to St Austell and that I'd got off a stop later. He then said that as I'd attempted to leave the station without a valid ticket that I'd have to pay a fine. I was incensed by this and refused to pay. I would have been happy to pay the difference in ticket fare but a fine? It was something like £40 he was asking for. I was livid, and refused. So he took my details (foreign driving license - though I am a UK citizen) and gave me a thing to pay it in the next 28 days or whatever. Note: when he took my details he had insisted on me giving him a UK address, so I gave the address of the hotel where I was staying, safe in the knowledge nothing would arrive there before I left the country again a few days later. I promptly forgot all about it.
Flash forward to the other day and somehow this has ended up in Swindon Magistrates Court (I mean, it has to be that, otherwise it's a case of ID fraud, I can't imagine what else it could be) and somehow they've got my mum's address and sent this threatening letter saying the lads will be on their way round in the next 14 days if I don't give them £700.
My mum has sent them evidence that I don't live there (council tax records) with recorded delivery mail, to both Marstons, Swindon Magistrates Court and the High Court in London.
So my questions are:
1. Given that this clearly been through the whole escalation process because they couldn't get in touch with me, and I forgot all about it, what happens if I don't pay?
2. Do I already have this on my criminal record at this point?
3. Will this show up on an ACRO check?
Last but not least: if I do pay the fine, will this still be on my criminal record, if the answer to questions 2 and 3 is "yes" ?
Thank you all very much in advance.