Overseas fine received advice please

[Cassillis]

I have received a letter informing me I have been fined for a road traffic violation whilst on holiday in Pisa Italy on 1st April 2006.  The letter was received on the 30th October demanding 110 Euros. Is this legal and what are the consequences if I refuse to pay?

Anyone had dealings with the Italian Justice system or a similar situation? Any advice would help please.

[chris9119]

Graeme

Can't advise on that one, and thought you would be best placed to know.

You wait until you get the fines from the Buck House incident prior to the L2B run  :lol: :lol:

Trust that your well.

Chris

[Cassillis]

No problems with those, the baked bean's a mate of mine
Yes I'm fine thanks hows you guys?

Shame your having to get rid of Tigger. I would love it , him ,her but i would like to keep my genitalia in the correct place  

[DarrenG]

I have received a letter informing me I have been fined for a road traffic violation whilst on holiday in Pisa Italy on 1st April 2006.  The letter was received on the 30th October demanding 110 Euros. Is this legal and what are the consequences if I refuse to pay?

Anyone had dealings with the Italian Justice system or a similar situation? Any advice would help please.

Well the first question is were you in Pisa on 1/9/06? There are scams about but only you can tell if this is a legitimate fine.  Do they state the vehicle etc?

The UK has recently started pursuing fines against foreign registered vehicles and so it may well be a Euro thing.  If it is legitimate and you don't pay you risk a much bigger penalty which can be enforced in due course.

If it is legitimate pay it is the best advice.

[Thrasher]

I got a fine in South Africa - took 9 months to arrive by surface mail. I ignored it.

[rollazuki]

What are they gonna do? Apply for extradition for 110 euros?

[DarrenG]

What are they gonna do? Apply for extradition for 110 euros?

Well IIRC there is a cross border EU arrangement where fines can be enforced.  That'd mean a visit from bailiff's if it's enforced.

[Guardian.]

our dvla and all the european equivalents have joined forces so we get knicked just about anywere now. its been going on for a couple of years now.
cannot say for today,but in the past they didnt chase it up, but, you are in the system in that country, so if you drive there a lot, i would pay now!
today with things the way they are i would imagine that they will follow it through.

[TDi90]

ignore it mate.

[SteveG]

Look at the letter, it is likely to be from a UK company. There are 2-3 companies here doing this work for other EU countries.

What's the offence, details etc - are they all correct. Does it state what evidence. If parking you would have received a ntoification there and then. These ones tend to be for speeding from cameras, so they should be able to provide evidence.

I would request this before doing anything else.

Steve

[Range Rover Blues]

I'd echo that, burden of proof etc.  On a different theme I have a mate (no honestly not me, a mate) who is being pursued by the French government for keeping his gran in a home.  The are going to get the money deducted by the tax man if he refuses to pay.

[Yoshi]

OK, burden of proof is all good.  What happened to the sentiments of "you do the crime you do the time?".

There are a number of people on this forum who believe that whatever crime you commit you should be locked up, and speeding is a crime, even in another country!

My view, if you were speeding, pay the fine, if you werent speeding then challenge it in accordance with their procedures.

[Horness]

There was a scam going around that sounded very similar to this.

I would either call Trading Standards, or take it to your local Police station to check before contacting/paying.
It said something like "the money should be paid into a bank account, or the case will be followed up through UK County Court".

Do a Google for "euro traffic fine scam" and have look to see if anything resembles what you have received.

If you were speeding, then pay the fine, but with so many scams about, I'd check it out first.

Horness

[Cassillis]

Okay after reading some of the replies here's some of the information I have. The offence is allegedly where I drove in a restricted street in Pisa and who or whatever saw me was unable to stop me because it would have been a danger to other road users to do so  :roll:

The former could have been true but at no time did I see any enforcement officers or anyone in fact trying to stop me for this alleged heinous offence, so I’m sceptical to say the least on this point. I was only in Pisa for some 4 hours. We landed grabbed the car went to see the campanile and then drove south into the heart of Tuscany itself.

The letter is from Italy and not a UK company and they have traced me through the hire car company I used whilst over there. Statute of limitations in relation to summonses is six months here but I have no idea of the law in relation to these matters in Italy.

I agree with BadgersRover, if I was speeding I would simply pay the fine and have done with it, but this is such a small matter of driving in a restricted street, no danger caused, no obstruction, as I didn’t even park, except in an authorised car park.

 I think it must have been when I got lost around the leaning tower trying to find somewhere to park. I drove down a myriad of small streets at the back of it. If this were the case, why wasn’t I stopped and the offence pointed out? It is quiet in those streets and there would have been no danger to others by police or other enforcement officers stopping a car for a minor traffic infringement.

The whole thing smells of revenue collection to me and I am seriously thinking of shredding the letter and having done with it

[BigBlue90]

TUT TUT TUT
snigger! :lol:







On a serious note Send a reply asking for all of the details and evidence. Put the ball in there court and see if they come up with the goods. They may just bin it as not worth the hassle.
Problem comes if you travel to the region on a regular basis. The last thing you want is to be stopped entering or leaving the country.

[muddyjames]

on 1st April 2006.

Is this not a late april fools joke??

I had a mate fake a letter to me this summer saying I had been spotted on police cctv for doing an illegal manouver and I believed it and even phoned my local police station up (annonomously of course) to see what the penalty would be if I couldnt prove it wasnt me and they said imprisonment possibly.

After an hour of me sweating big time he owend up to it the cheeky monkey!!!

Get all the evidence going is my advice and phone up whoever you went with and see if they laugh at your expense!