Legal Questions and Answers by
Jonathan Stones of John Barkers
Question :-
I was delighted to read that amongst a large number of proposals to reform the law
currently being looked at by the Government's legal advisers is a suggestion that the
heinous crime of not having a telly licence should in future be dealt with by post.
Whilst I am against licence dodging, the regular parade of people through the courts,
mainly poor and mainly women, is ridiculous. Within a certain small range, they all get
the same penalty.
It seems to me that the only purpose is to hold people up to ridicule when their names are
printed in the newspaper. People who are probably already having a difficult time.
If speeding motorists, who are dangerous, get fixed penalty tickets, and people caught in
possession of cannabis get cautions, why on earth should someone who watches television
without a licence have to appear before a magistrates court?
Answer :-
There are many people who will welcome the suggestion that television licence offences
should be dealt with by a fixed penalty system, rather than in the magistrates' court.
A number of readers have written to the column in the past, expressing
concern on this subject, although I have to say that some people have taken the view that
the fines imposed by the court are too low.
Personally I can think of no good reason why first time offenders
should not be dealt with by post. It certainly should help free up valuable court time for
more serious matters.
The only surprise is that it has not happened before,
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