I have just been informed of a no bail warrant for my arrest! Can i still travel!?

[nicknock]

hi

I've found out today there is a no bail warrant out for my arrest for fines that i was completely unaware of! 2 for speeding, 1 is from 2006 and another from 2010 and another for failing to notify the secretary of state of a change of circumstances. I have no idea what that even means and the warrant officer couldn't tell me.
He said i have to hand myself in at the court which I'm prepared to do and either dispute or pay the fines if i have in fact incurred them, but im travelling abroad tomorrow and am just wondered if ill get stopped at the airport!?

I also have a small child and from what i have read online, if i go to court, they could detain me so I'm very worried about the care of my child obviously.

Can anybody help please!?

[bluebottle]

Re: I have just been informed of a no bail warrant for my arrest! Can i still travel!

If the Warrant Officer doesn't know what it's about, why the hell is he/she telling you to hand yourself in at a court? Did you see this numpty's warrant card? If he/she did not produce it, I would regard it as a wind-up. You should have been sent a Summons and, if the fines weren't paid, a Further Steps Notice to bring your account up to date. Someone, somewhere has been side-stepping proper legal procedures. Ring the Court Manager tomorrow morning and ask what the hell is going on. If you weren't told of any court proceedings, of any fine and did not receive any Further Steps Notice, you need to make it clear that proper legal procedures were not followed. If the Court Manager tries the, "You were sent them" number, ask for the telephone number of the HMCTS Regional Manager and don't take "No" for an answer. I'm not making any guarantees this will resolve matters, but it will mean the Court Manager will have to explain why proper legal procedures have not been complied with. The HMCTS Regional Manager is their boss and can overrule them on a number of matters. I would certainly make clear your family situation.

[nicknock]

Re: I have just been informed of a no bail warrant for my arrest! Can i still travel!

Hi

The officer phoned me this morning to tell me he was coming to arrest me but wouldn't if i handed myself in. He gave me dates of the speeding offences but couldn't tell me what the failure to notify the secretary of state was.
I have moved around a lot, so that could be the problem which he did acknowledge, but if ive never received an NIP in the first place, how can they arrest me!? Im really scared now that if i go to court im going to end up in the cells over night as that seems to be the procedure from what i can see online!

[nicknock]

Re: I have just been informed of a no bail warrant for my arrest! Can i still travel!

just to add, as you've said, i did explain to the officer that i did not want to 'hand myself in' for something im not even aware of!
They could argue that a summons was sent to my old address, it was a flat and there were 8 of them whose post were all put through a main door and fell on to a carpet in a mixed pile so you can imagine mail frequently went missing!

[bluebottle]

Re: I have just been informed of a no bail warrant for my arrest! Can i still travel!

Are you absolutely sure it was an HMCTS Warrant Officer who rang you and not some scummy bailiff? HMCTS Warrant Officers tend to turn up unannounced with a police officer in tow. An HMCTS Warrant Officer would know EXACTLY what he/she was obliged to arrest a person for as it is a legal requirement to tell a person the reason why they are being arrested. "Failure to notify the Secretary of State of change of circumstances" is not enough. The actual offence must be stated in full. My God, a police officer undergoing initial training knows that. It's one of the first things they're taught. I should know, I was a policeman. You need to find out when any summonses were sent and to what addresses and when any Further Steps Notices where sent and to which addresses. The Court Manager is obliged to provide you with this information. Any non co-operation from the Court Manager and ask for the telephone number of the HMCTS Regional Manager. I find that "Am I to understand you are refusing to provide me with the information I am requesting?" has a desirable effect with stroppy officials.

[nicknock]

Re: I have just been informed of a no bail warrant for my arrest! Can i still travel!

Thanks for your help.

yes he said he was a warrant officer and i called the court afterwards to ask what the offences were about but they couldnt tell me what the failure to inform the secretary of state was about, only that its usually failing to inform of a change in circumstances, but i have no idea what those circumstances might be.
The speeding offences might have happened for all i know, but i never received an NIP if they did or any summons!
So, if i call the court again and ask what address any correspondence was sent to, but in the meantime, can i travel!? Im petrified ill get arrested at the airport!? And quite frankly, why the hell have they issued a no bail warrant, its not as though i've dodged bail before and am some kind of flight risk, seems insane!

[bluebottle]

Re: I have just been informed of a no bail warrant for my arrest! Can i still travel!

Something has gone seriously wrong somewhere and its down to HMCTS to explain why and where. I would ring the Court Manager tomorrow morning and ask them to explain what has gone wrong. If you never received a Notice of Intended Prosecution or summons, you could be entitled to have the alleged offences re-tried or quashed as a non-appearance will normally result in the maximum fine being imposed.

From what you're saying, it sounds to me that the court doesn't have a clue what is going on. They cannot just issue a No Bail Warrant nilly-willy. It is illegal for a court to do that unless proper legal procedures have been adhered to to the letter of the law.

The Court Manager should be able to tell you if you can travel, but they need to be completely upfront and honest with you as to why legal procedures have not been complied with. Ask for the telephone number of the HMCTS Regional Manager if you find you are banging your head against a brick wall with the Court Manager.

[nicknock]

Re: I have just been informed of a no bail warrant for my arrest! Can i still travel!

Ok, thanks for your help. Lets just hope i can travel and come back and sort it out!

[Crazy council]

Re: I have just been informed of a no bail warrant for my arrest! Can i still travel!

hi

Quote "failure to inform the secretary of state" = in driving offences its usualy for failing to infoirm them of a driver of the car when it was speeding, be carfull with this one, its 6 points as i recall.

[CleverClogs]

Re: I have just been informed of a no bail warrant for my arrest! Can i still travel!

Ok, thanks for your help. Lets just hope i can travel and come back and sort it out!

Ever thought of moving to Ecuador?