Just been pulled.

Originally Posted by Owenski

Sounds steep until you realize that's the penalty for not paying an annual insurance premium, they seriously need to sort out the punishment to befit the crime.

I know your lad wasnt dodging the premium Tim so he's not covered by that little dig, but £200 is hardly a punishment for not having paid a premium 3 times that.

It would be better if the immediate punishment was greater but the insurance premium increase was less.

Back in 2000 I was working for a firm in Doncaster and had full use of the fairly new company Renault Master van, which I had probably done about 40,000 miles in. One evening I was returning up the A1M from Bognor Regis when I had a massive blow-out of the front offside tyre which slewed the van round into the armco. The van spun a couple of times and suffered quite serious damage which very nearly wrote it off.

Once we'd recovered the van back we started the insurance claim, only to find I wasn't covered because my idiot boss had forgotten that employees were named on the policy and it wasn't an 'any person employed by the company' type of policy. He had no option but to lie to the insurance company and claim that he was the one driving, which suited me because I could just wash my hands of the whole episode and not say a thing.

Two weeks later he gets a summons from Beds Police for driving without due care and not reporting the accident to the relevant authorities (damage caused to the armco). As he's already put his name to the insurance claim and said he was driving I was not about to take the rap because that would put me in the frame for driving uninsured and the pair of us for fraud, so I basically told him he'd have to take it on the chin and handle that himself as punishment for being stupid enough to leave me off the insurance. He managed to dodge the due care charge by explaining the tyre blowing out but they nicked him for the failure to report.

Did I feel bad? Not a bit, the bloke turned out to be a complete b'stard when the company folded and left me out of pocket by a couple of grand.

[Red Herring]

Tim, I know I pointed you in the direction of the statuary defence but he won't be able to avail himself of that if he was using it for "personal use" (your post 20) when he was stopped. The best he can hope for is to take his boss along and argue "Special reasons" as to why they shouldn't endorse his licence with penalty points.

[timwilky]

Well just to update this. The lad has pleaded not guilty and is up before the magistrate on Thursday. His employer at the time is not talking to him. Watch this space.

Originally Posted by timwilky

I guess they were trying to get people who are working and claiming housing benefit or something like that. But as I said in my rant. Driving a personal van is no indication of it being a work vehicle.

You can work and claim housing, I do I earn 25k a year and am still entitled to housing as I am married with 4 children. Ridiculous I know but its a hang over from when I was unemployed the payment just reduce as my salary increases. Still a hefty chunk, I pay my way so why not claim some back?

[21QUEST]

You are right...it is ridiculous. I think I'm going to get married....

Good luck to your Lad TimW

[timwilky]

Not guilty

Apparently the magistrates have recommended to the police that my sons ex employer should be investigated.

Result. But to be honest, I would have thought when he submitted his written defense to the initial summons that the CPS would have read it and decided not to proceed.

5 months of hell for the poor sod. He now has a proper job where a clean licence is a necessity.

[yorkie_chris]

Good stuff glad it's sorted

Great result. Very lucky for the judge to see sense.

Originally Posted by SvNewbie

Great result. Very lucky for the judge to see sense.

Believe it or not magistrates are humans too.

He clearly had a reasonable expectation that he was insured, I mean I have absolutely no way of checking my company insures me aside from their assurances.

I am surprised the CPS didn't pick up on it but They probably get so many cases across their desk they only scan them before going to court.