RE: Warrant for arrest for a fine i already paid

[nr105]

Hi everyone im new to this site so sorry if i do anything wrong or post in the wrong place but i was wondering if anyone could help me with my situation

At the end of Jan this year i was arrested for being drunk and disorderly in a public place. This occurred in Leicester outside a nightclub. I spent the night in a cell before being released and they gave me the option of either paying an £80 fine or attending a drunk and disorderly meeting. I chose the meeting. However after arranging my first meeting i turned up on time but only 5mins before the time i was meant to be there and so they told me id have to reschedule the meeting, which i then did however unfortunately i turned up on the wrong day for the 2nd meeting. I was called up by the officer which handled my bail of when i was first arrested and they had told me the fine will go up to £120 and i would receive a letter saying that but to not worry about it as i chose to attend another meeting (the 3rd) which i finally made and attended, where they told me at the end of the meeting that i could do whatever i liked with the fine as it was now invalid and didn't need to be paid and thus the end of my worries. This meeting was in April.

However a couple days ago i went to my leicester home where i saw a letter which told me there was a warrant for my outstanding arrest and to call the number provided immediately which i then did as i was baffled. The officers came round and told me that as i didnt pay a £120 fine (the drunk and disorderly fine which should have been waived) there was a warrant for my arrest. Despite my protests and explaination of the situation they told me i either had to pay or go to a cell, so i paid the fine (well borrowed the money off a great friend). Now they told me i would have to contact the HM courts and tribunals service and ask for a reopening of my case.

Now i have two questions

1st HOW DO I GET MY MONEY BACK and how long is this process going to take

2nd Will this now go on my record? As i was told that it wouldn't go on my record initially but now that there was a warrant for my arrest im not so sure

the worst part about this is that it was my brothers graduation on the day and i was just going to meet him and my family before i saw this letter =/

Thanks

[bluebottle]

Re: Warrant for arrest for a fine i already paid

Hi nr105 and welcome to Legal Beagles.

I am a retired police officer and, no, I'm not winding you up. Drunk & Disorderly is a non-crime offence so it won't go onto Criminal Records Office (CRO) indices, but the police force who you had dealings with may keep it on their local indices.

I find the actions of the police force involved - whom I suspect is Leicestershire Constabulary - somewhat odd. Something has gone badly wrong somewhere and it needs to be sorted out. The first person you need to contact is the Superintendent in charge of the police station you were detained at and who arranged your attendance at the meetings and ask them to explain what is going on. If you don't get any joy from them, you can escalate the matter up to the local Area Commander, who holds the rank of Chief Superintendent. After that, your next step is the Chief Constable of Leicester Constabulary and, then, the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) if the matter still remains unresolved. I wouldn't bother going as far as writing to Theresa May, the Home Secretary, or Nick Herbert, the Minister of State responsible for Policing. They strike me as being totally intolerant of anyone else's view other than that of the Tory Old Guard, which flies in the face of the Home Office's slogan of "Working for a more tolerant Britain". Get your local MP involved if you want to, unless they're from the same mould as May and Herbert. Your could try writing to Sir David Normington, Permanent Secretary, or Stephen Rimmer, Director-General of Crime & Policing, at the Home Office if you're not happy with the response you get from Leicestershire Constabulary or are not confident about the IPCC handling the matter impartially or fairly.

[nr105]

Re: Warrant for arrest for a fine i already paid

Hi bluebottle

i really want to thank you for reply and the time you've taken to read my thread. The action you suggested was what i was planning to do unfortunately i live in london but i am going to leicester this week hopefully i shall be able to sort it out. I shall reply on this thread with what goes on

Again thank you very much

nr105

[bluebottle]

Re: Warrant for arrest for a fine i already paid

Hi nr105,

It is open to you to write to Theresa May and Nick Herbert if you wish. I post on CAG as well as LB, but under a different username, and am advising posters to write to Secretaries and Ministers of State as well as their MPs. One poster on CAG and LB has contacted their MP about a case they posted and the MP is tabling a Parliamentary question about the case. So it's a case of "Nothing ventured, nothing gained". If the politicians don't know what is going on, they can't do anything to put a stop to what is happening that should not be happening.

All the best when you go to Leicester. I hope you get this sorted out because, like I said, something has gone badly wrong somewhere.