A Scottish Premiership footballer who repeatedly failed to settle a fine imposed for a road offence had to pay up after having his wages arrested.
The fine was imposed at a court in England for driving a car without a valid test certificate and enforcement was transferred to Scotland after the footballer moved north.
Despite promising to pay after warning letters were sent out, no cash was received so the earnings arrestment order was issued at Edinburgh Sheriff Court and the footballer settled the £150 fine.
Arresting wages is one of a number of measures available to the Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service (SCTS) for recovering unpaid fines. Other measures include freezing bank accounts taking money directly from benefits, clamping vehicles and even arresting non-payers.
An Ayrshire man who had repeatedly failed to pay up after being fined for theft got a nasty shock when he was arrested over his outstanding fine. The man, who was fined at Ayr JP Court, owed £1455 of the £1750 total. A warrant was issued for his arrest and he settled the bill immediately after being held by police.
Fines dodgers across Scotland have also paid up thousands of pounds after having their vehicles clamped. A Lanarkshire driver stumped up £1075 for outstanding fines for two road traffic and three drugs offences imposed at Airdrie Sheriff Court and Coatbridge JP Court after a clamping order was issued on his vehicle while two drivers convicted at Paisley JP Court of road traffic offences settled outstanding sums of £400 and £330.
In all cases, the offenders had opportunities to make payment of their fines at a reasonable and affordable instalment rate – but did not pay up.
A new report released by SCTS today (Thursday 23 February 2017) reveals that the fines collection rate remains consistently strong. It shows that 88% of the value of Sheriff Court fines imposed during the three-year period between 1st April 2013 and 31st March 2016 has either been fully paid or is on track to be paid through instalments. This is a rise of 3 percentage points compared with the value paid as at 11 October 2016.
SCTS Chief Operations Officer David Fraser said: “The fines enforcement team continue to be highly effective in securing unpaid fines – ignoring your fine and not speaking to an enforcement officer if you are having difficulty paying is very unwise. Failure to pay, or to engage with our officers, will result in strong sanctions being taken including arrestment of wages, bank accounts, your car being clamped or inconvenience and embarrassment by being arrested when travelling abroad.”
All defaulters are issued warnings before action is taken. Those in genuine financial difficulty can engage with enforcement officers to discuss payment terms.
Most fines can be paid round the clock on our secure website at www.scotcourts.gov.uk/payyourfine or using our automated telephone payment system by phoning 0300 790 0003. Only fines which involve the endorsement of a driving record cannot be paid electronically at the moment.
For those penalties that cannot be paid using the online or telephone payment systems, customers can post payments to Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service, Central Processing Unit, PO Box 23, Glasgow, G59 9DA or take it in person to any Scottish court fines office.
Ends
Notes to Editors
• Fine defaulters are not named for data protection reasons.
• A copy of the most recent SCTS Quarterly Fines Report is available at: http://www.scotcourts.gov.uk/about-the-scottish-court-service/reports-data
• Many fines are paid by instalments over the course of two or more years which will affect collection rate figures.
• Most of the money collected through fines payment is sent to the UK Treasury under devolution arrangements set up within the Scotland Act 1998.
Contact: communications@scotcourts.gov.uk Tel: 0131 444 3310