Mason let off with parking fine

howie · 17-12-2008, 03:06 PM

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/arti...wiped-out.html

Motorist who paid a parking ticket with a 'toilet paper' cheque has fine wiped out

It was a very British protest - cocking a snook at overbearing authorities while staying well within the law.

But Dick Roper's small glow of pleasure at using two sheets of toilet paper to write a cheque for a parking ticket was short lived.

Although the Her Majesty's Court Service said they would accept the £30 cheque as payment, they demanded an extra £15 to cover the fee they would be charged for cashing it.

When the 63-year-old grandfather-of-two refused, he was dragged to court for non-payment of a fine.

Yesterday, the retired businessman took advantage of his day in court by reading out a letter he sent to the Court Service in which he described the police community support officer who slapped a ticket on his car as a 'snake'.

Everyone, included the judge, was laughing as he described the man 'slithering' home at the end of the day 'to digest the evil he had done'.

In the end, Mr Roper scored a victory for common sense when District Judge David Cooper asked him if he would mind sitting at the back of the court until the day's business was over as 'punishment'.

Mr Roper agreed, after Mr Cooper assured him it would not mean receiving a criminal record, adding: 'I can't say it will be particularly enlightening for you but it will discharge your debt to society.'

The father-of-two was initially told not to speak to the press after the sentence as he was 'in custody' but was released just 70 minutes later.

He said afterwards: 'Mr Cooper entered into the spirit of things. I don't consider it a punishment. It's a victory for common sense, really.

'At the end of the day, it wasn't me refusing to pay. It was them refusing to accept it.

'In this day and age one should be entitled to make a peaceful protest when you think what's happened to you is unjustified.

'When people like PCSOs have discretionary powers, they should use them.'

Mr Roper's battle against bureaucracy began on September 30 when he parked in a cul-de-sac near his home in Long Melford, near Sudbury in Suffolk, for a Masonic meeting.

Unable to find a space, he put the front of his car in a bay but the rear end was left outside.

At 9pm, PCSO John Woodgate - nicknamed the Terminator by locals who claim he hunts down his victims remorselessly and shows no compassion - gave him a £30 fixed penalty notice.

Angry at being punished Mr Roper, who is married to Marilyn, 61, wrote the unorthodox cheque but in a covering letter said he would pay twice the amount to charity if his ticket was waived - an offer which was refused.

He told Sudbury Magistrates Court yesterday correspondence had gone 'back and forth' in which he was told that police and magistrates would not accept his cheque.
'I wrote back and said it was legal tender as it has all the information required for payment,' he said.

'In the end I wrote to the bank saying that I'd written a cheque on two pieces of toilet paper and asked if it was legal. They said "Of course it is".'

Mr Cooper sniggered as he read a letter from Mr Roper's bank which opened: 'We have investigated your case fully...'

Mr Roper, who was not legally represented, told the court he refused to pay the £15 'special presentation' fee for the cheque to be cashed on the grounds that he had always had to swallow the charges imposed when banking and writing cheques on business accounts.

When the district judge asked what he would have done if a customer had paid with a cheque written on toilet paper, he replied: 'I would pay the cheque in and send them a receipt on toilet paper.'

Mr Cooper has a reputation for unusual judgements. In October, he spared a woman jail after hearing she had shown remorse and bought a box of chocolates for a police officer she had assaulted.

He has also ordered a man who kept pestering women to keep away from a train station and banned a drunken lout from every pub in England and Wales for a year.

mike martin · 17-12-2008, 03:41 PM

Err he wasn't let off with the parking fine!

He paid it, just because the Parking Nazis think they are all powerful he was taken to court for non-payment except he had paid it.

Mike

ban freekmasons · 18-12-2008, 12:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mike martin

Err he wasn't let off with the parking fine!

He paid it, just because the Parking Nazis think they are all powerful he was taken to court for non-payment except he had paid it.

Mike

Hi Mike, any chance you could try someone else's shoes on ?

mike martin · 18-12-2008, 02:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ban freekmasons

Hi Mike, any chance you could try someone else's shoes on ?

Explain?

Mike

lightindarkness · 18-12-2008, 03:20 PM

Its not..

A man wins parking fine protest
A business person wins parking fine protect

Its a mason wins parking fine protest. Is there absolutely any indication that he won his protest because of anything other than than having the facts on his side? No. So stop trying to link his membership to it.

howie · 18-12-2008, 03:38 PM

He refused to pay the £15 extra charge & got away with it.

The article was in todays printed edition of the mail, the masonic meeting part has been changed to parked near his home.

keystone · 18-12-2008, 08:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by howie

He refused to pay the £15 extra charge & got away with it.

The article was in todays printed edition of the mail, the masonic meeting part has been changed to parked near his home.

No the bank agreed it was a valid cheque and the court accepted that he had paid the fine.

What he "got away with" (as you so quaintly put it) was kicking the gestapo parking police and the petty bureaucracy rather hard in the butt. Mason or not - three cheers to him!

mike martin · 18-12-2008, 11:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by howie

He refused to pay the £15 extra charge & got away with it.

There was no legal requirement for him to pay the £15! As the article clearly states the toilet paper was legal tender, the £15 special charge wasn't his responsibility. so he got away with nothing.

Quote:

Originally Posted by howie

The article was in todays printed edition of the mail, the masonic meeting part has been changed to parked near his home.

Well it wasn't actually relevant to the story.

I think the ironic thing about this story is that if it was David Icke who'd done it, you'd all be saying what a hero he was, not trying to take pot shots at him. Think about it for A moment.

Mike

grandsecretary · 19-12-2008, 11:12 AM

Quote:

Mr Cooper has a reputation for unusual judgements. In October, he spared a woman jail after hearing she had shown remorse and bought a box of chocolates for a police officer she had assaulted.

Say no more.

keystone · 19-12-2008, 11:26 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by grandsecretary

Say no more.

Eh?

grandsecretary · 19-12-2008, 12:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by keystone

Eh?

Judge Mr Cooper was the judge in this case.

keystone · 19-12-2008, 12:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by grandsecretary

Judge Mr Cooper was the judge in this case.

I know that I'm not completely dense. I don't see the relevance of the enigmatic "say no more"

grandsecretary · 19-12-2008, 12:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by keystone

I know that I'm not completely dense. I don't see the relevance of the enigmatic "say no more"

Oh OK. It suggests that there is no need to say any more because the quote itself is sufficient to explain the circumstances of the judgement.

keystone · 19-12-2008, 12:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by grandsecretary

Oh OK. It suggests that there is no need to say any more because the quote itself is sufficient to explain the circumstances of the judgement.

Thanks. I understand you now. Sorry to be so thick!

17-12-2008, 03:06 PM	#1
howie Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2007 Posts: 868	Mason let off with parking fine http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/arti...wiped-out.html Motorist who paid a parking ticket with a 'toilet paper' cheque has fine wiped out It was a very British protest - cocking a snook at overbearing authorities while staying well within the law. But Dick Roper's small glow of pleasure at using two sheets of toilet paper to write a cheque for a parking ticket was short lived. Although the Her Majesty's Court Service said they would accept the £30 cheque as payment, they demanded an extra £15 to cover the fee they would be charged for cashing it. When the 63-year-old grandfather-of-two refused, he was dragged to court for non-payment of a fine. Yesterday, the retired businessman took advantage of his day in court by reading out a letter he sent to the Court Service in which he described the police community support officer who slapped a ticket on his car as a 'snake'. Everyone, included the judge, was laughing as he described the man 'slithering' home at the end of the day 'to digest the evil he had done'. In the end, Mr Roper scored a victory for common sense when District Judge David Cooper asked him if he would mind sitting at the back of the court until the day's business was over as 'punishment'. Mr Roper agreed, after Mr Cooper assured him it would not mean receiving a criminal record, adding: 'I can't say it will be particularly enlightening for you but it will discharge your debt to society.' The father-of-two was initially told not to speak to the press after the sentence as he was 'in custody' but was released just 70 minutes later. He said afterwards: 'Mr Cooper entered into the spirit of things. I don't consider it a punishment. It's a victory for common sense, really. 'At the end of the day, it wasn't me refusing to pay. It was them refusing to accept it. 'In this day and age one should be entitled to make a peaceful protest when you think what's happened to you is unjustified. 'When people like PCSOs have discretionary powers, they should use them.' Mr Roper's battle against bureaucracy began on September 30 when he parked in a cul-de-sac near his home in Long Melford, near Sudbury in Suffolk, for a Masonic meeting. Unable to find a space, he put the front of his car in a bay but the rear end was left outside. At 9pm, PCSO John Woodgate - nicknamed the Terminator by locals who claim he hunts down his victims remorselessly and shows no compassion - gave him a £30 fixed penalty notice. Angry at being punished Mr Roper, who is married to Marilyn, 61, wrote the unorthodox cheque but in a covering letter said he would pay twice the amount to charity if his ticket was waived - an offer which was refused. He told Sudbury Magistrates Court yesterday correspondence had gone 'back and forth' in which he was told that police and magistrates would not accept his cheque. 'I wrote back and said it was legal tender as it has all the information required for payment,' he said. 'In the end I wrote to the bank saying that I'd written a cheque on two pieces of toilet paper and asked if it was legal. They said "Of course it is".' Mr Cooper sniggered as he read a letter from Mr Roper's bank which opened: 'We have investigated your case fully...' Mr Roper, who was not legally represented, told the court he refused to pay the £15 'special presentation' fee for the cheque to be cashed on the grounds that he had always had to swallow the charges imposed when banking and writing cheques on business accounts. When the district judge asked what he would have done if a customer had paid with a cheque written on toilet paper, he replied: 'I would pay the cheque in and send them a receipt on toilet paper.' Mr Cooper has a reputation for unusual judgements. In October, he spared a woman jail after hearing she had shown remorse and bought a box of chocolates for a police officer she had assaulted. He has also ordered a man who kept pestering women to keep away from a train station and banned a drunken lout from every pub in England and Wales for a year.

17-12-2008, 03:41 PM	#2
mike martin Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Kent Posts: 1,873	Err he wasn't let off with the parking fine! He paid it, just because the Parking Nazis think they are all powerful he was taken to court for non-payment except he had paid it. Mike

18-12-2008, 03:20 PM	#5
lightindarkness Banned Join Date: Nov 2008 Posts: 813	Its not.. A man wins parking fine protest A business person wins parking fine protect Its a mason wins parking fine protest. Is there absolutely any indication that he won his protest because of anything other than than having the facts on his side? No. So stop trying to link his membership to it.

18-12-2008, 03:38 PM	#6
howie Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2007 Posts: 868	He refused to pay the £15 extra charge & got away with it. The article was in todays printed edition of the mail, the masonic meeting part has been changed to parked near his home.