Fare dodging court summons...

OCdude · 28 Apr 2012 at 16:07

So I received a court summons today which is addressed to someone who doesn't live at my address and is clearly the result of some little scrote giving my address after being caught fare dodging.

Not sure what I should do, as there is no phone number on any of the legal paperwork that's come through my door and i'm assuming that if I just ignore it, i'll probably end up getting in "some" kind of trouble (not informing the courts or some ****).

I have the address of the courts, so i'm thinking of just returning all the paperwork with a note saying that the person they've addressed this to, doesn't live here. Bad idea?

Swordfish · 28 Apr 2012 at 16:08

I'd return the documents recorded delivery and advised that the person named does not and has not lived at the property and you do not know them.

PMKeates · 28 Apr 2012 at 16:09

If it's in an envelope, and it's not your name on the envelope, ignore it.

Castiel · 28 Apr 2012 at 16:10

There must be some form of address or contact on the form.

OCdude · 28 Apr 2012 at 16:10

PMKeates said:
If it's in an envelope, and it's not your name on the envelope, ignore it.

That's what I was thinking, but then I started wondering if there are some stupid laws that would result in me getting in trouble for.. i dunno... wasting the courts time or something lol

PMKeates · 28 Apr 2012 at 16:11

OCdude said:
That's what I was thinking, but then I started wondering if there are some stupid laws that would result in me getting in trouble for.. i dunno... wasting the courts time or something lol

If you do nothing, you won't. Can you imagine the courts busting your door down going "WHY DIDN'T YOU RESPOND TO THE LETTER WE DIDN'T SEND TO YOU RAAAAAAAAAAGE"?

Abraham · 28 Apr 2012 at 16:12

Write on the envelope "return to sender, recipient not known at this address" and stick it in a postbox.

OCdude · 28 Apr 2012 at 16:12

PMKeates said:
If you do nothing, you won't. Can you imagine the courts busting your door down going "WHY DIDN'T YOU RESPOND TO THE LETTER WE DIDN'T SEND TO YOU RAAAAAAAAAAGE"?

lol nah, but I can imagine them coming up with some hilarious reason like "oh because you didn't notify the courts earlier, you are now responsible for all court costs"

I wonder what freak had my address to hand

Heliospherez · 28 Apr 2012 at 16:13

Had "nearly" the same thing happen to me - only it was summons addressed to some guy who had attacked his wife, then divorce proceedings etc.

Phoned the court 3 times & told them that there was no-one by that name here - and we were the first/only occuiers of the house (each time I still continued to receive the letters addressed to someone that had never even lived at our house - even though some woman at the court promised to look into the error/remove the details etc) before I finally lost the head, called them & told them I was recording the phone call which I would use as evidence - and threatened to go "higher" with my problem. I also asked them to give me written confirmation that I would not receive any more mail in error & their database / my house address was removed from their systems and the reference to the person in question etc.

Only then did I actually stop getting legal stuff for the guy in question (who I then found out lived about 20 doors away)

Cosimo · 28 Apr 2012 at 16:13

Find the number on the internet, ring on Monday then return documents with a note.

Speed · 28 Apr 2012 at 16:14

Mark it "Not Known at this Address" and pop it back into the post box. It will be returned to sender and they'll deal with it. No doubt a clerical error.

We were told to do that with a letter from WSM Police Property Office, right address but no one at our address by that name.

Jokester · 28 Apr 2012 at 16:14

OCdude said:
That's what I was thinking, but then I started wondering if there are some stupid laws that would result in me getting in trouble for.. i dunno... wasting the courts time or something lol

The only law you might have broken, is opening mail that didn't have your name on

Tyron · 28 Apr 2012 at 16:15

Isn't it illegal to open another person's mail?

Anyway the most that will happen is they will come to your house, you show them some id to prove who you are, case closed.

Von Smallhausen · 28 Apr 2012 at 16:15

Its happened to me twice. I contacted the issuing office and told them the situation and it was resolved immediately.

Abraham · 28 Apr 2012 at 16:16

why would you go to any efforts, any post that comes to your address that isn't for you, return to sender, it takes about 2 seconds to write, and then just stick it in a postbox at your convinience. It's not your problem why it's come to your address, or what's in the envelope, you just post it back and you're done.

The Halk · 28 Apr 2012 at 16:21

Abraham said:
Write on the envelope "return to sender, recipient not known at this address" and stick it in a postbox.

This is the right thing to do, it'll take you the least effort and time, and it will get back to them as undelivered.

Deleted member 77746 · 28 Apr 2012 at 16:22

Rip it up, bin it and ignore it. Not your problem.

dowie · 28 Apr 2012 at 16:26

OCdude said:
That's what I was thinking, but then I started wondering if there are some stupid laws that would result in me getting in trouble for.. i dunno... wasting the courts time or something lol

nope - its not in your name. I doubt it was addressed to you rather to a specific named individual at your address - you probably shouldn't have even opened it.

kPATm · 28 Apr 2012 at 17:48

Did you sign for the letter? If it wasnt addressed to you I would imagine that you didnt open it?

Just give it back to the postman/woman

Zefan · 28 Apr 2012 at 17:56

Just wondering here..... if it was his name but spelled ever so slightly incorrectly, for instance "Jones" to "Mones" would that get him off in the same way? I mean if it was him who actually committed the offence in the first place, but they just got his name wrong. What would happen then?