Taxi Driver Online

Callous Magistrates should be Suspended


The Association of British Drivers has called for magistrates to be suspended after a pensioner died from a heart attack whilst being hounded over a speeding fine.

Andy Miller, aged 78, from Accrington, Lancashire, suffered a heart attack when a bailiff insisted he go to a cash machine to get the money to pay a speeding fine and court costs, threatening to force his way into Mr Miller's house if he did not comply.

Mr Miller suffered a heart attack last October, a fact which the court had been made aware of by his family, and which was the reason he had not paid the fine originally. [1]

ABD spokesman Nigel Humphries said: "The ABD applauds the decision of justice secretary Jack Straw to carry out an investigation into this tragic incident; but we believe that both the bailiff, and the magistrates who sent him to Mr Miller's home, should be suspended pending the results of the investigation, which must be made public."

The ABD once again expresses grave concern that HMCS (Her Majesty's Court Service) is one of the partners in the 'Lancashire Partnership for Road Safety' that operates speed cameras [2]. It is thus abundantly obvious that the courts cannot possible act impartially in cases related to exceeding the speed limit, and further proof that these accountable quangos should be dissolved.

ABD Chairman Brian Gregory added: "Whilst the magistrates who sent the bailiffs to Mr Miller's house acted wholly inappropriately, no-one should be in any doubt that it is the government's fanatical obsession with speed cameras and speed limits that is the root cause of this tragedy. It is particularly galling that this whole matter relates to speeding on a motorway, when everyone, including the police, know that motorway speed limit is 40 years out of date."

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Think of how stupid the average person is, and realize half of them are stupider than that.
George Carlin

Justice Secretary orders investigation into pensioner who suffered heart attack when bailiffs came knocking


A pensioner died after suffering a heart attack after being driven to a cash machine by a bailiff to pay off a £60 speeding ticket.


Andy Miller: Mr Miller was suffering from memory loss and was in hospital just days before the bailiff turned up at his home Photo: PA
Jack Straw, the Justice Secretary, has ordered an investigation after learning the decision to send a bailiff to Andy Miller's home was made by magistrates despite being warned he had been ill.

Mr Miller, 78, a former pub landlord, was suffering from memory loss and was in hospital just days before the bailiff turned up at his home in Accrington, Lancashire.

Even though his sons had written to magistrates explaining their father had been ill, a court hearing into Mr Miller's overdue speeding fine saw a £270 administration cost added to the fine and bailiffs authorised to collect the debt.

Mr Miller, who had been working as a cleaner to make ends meet, suffered a heart attack in October, spending 10 days in a coma and two months in hospital before being allowed home on Christmas Eve.

On January 7, a bailiff called at Mr Miller's old home address in Lower Darwen, Blackburn, asking to be let in so he could take goods to the value of £360.

His son, Mick, a sales manager who now lives at the address, said: "My brother explained that dad didn't live there anymore but he wouldn't listen.

"All he kept saying was he was GPS tracked and if he didn't take the goods, he would be sacked.

"We phoned dad and he told us to send the bailiff round to his flat and they would drive to a cash point."

The bailiff drove Mr Miller from his home to the centre of town and he got out to find some cash.

Police said CCTV cameras showed Mr Miller walking alone to various points in the town centre, shortly before he collapsed.

Police officers who were patrolling nearby tried to resuscitate him but he was pronounced dead shortly afterwards.

The bailiff made himself know to police and was interviewed.

Mick Miller said: "Bailiffs should not be allowed to behave like this. Dad was put under incredible duress.

"I know how nervous he had been and what a strain this would have been on him."

The family claim that before he fell ill, Mr Miller had intended to appeal the three-year-old speeding ticket.

They claim he was caught by a camera which had been set up to cover road works on the M55 that were no longer in place.

Hyndburn MP Greg Pope referred the case to Mr Straw who has ordered an investigation.

Mr Pope said: "There are many things about this case which require an answer. Why didn't the court service take into account that Mr Miller was in poor health?

"There needs to be some sort of answer to that question and I hope the court service will come forward and do that."

A spokesman for Her Majesty's Courts Service said: "We offer our condolences to Mr Miller's family.

"At the request of the local MP, Greg Pope, we will conduct an investigation into the circumstances around this and will report back to the family and MP."

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Think of how stupid the average person is, and realize half of them are stupider than that.
George Carlin

Clearly the ABD know f*** all about the workings of a court.

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IDFIMH

Like most magistrates..... if it wasn't for the clerk of the court most people would go home.

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Justice for the 96. It has only taken 27 years...........repeat the same lies for 27 years and the truth sounds strange to people!

fine or points?

Is that how long it takes the courts to chase up non payment of speeding fines? 3 years!!!

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Grandad,

I suspect someone got a bollocking, thus the urgency.

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IDFIMH