Legalised theft......

PaulStat · 20 Feb 2006 at 10:31

I just had to pay £147 to the council because they had stolen my car and were holding it to ransom!!!!

Thieving SOB's Grrrrrrrr :mad:

Don't see why they couldn't just give me a parking ticket, it was hardly in the way of anything.

And all because some git had nicked my parking space, and then I completly forgot to move the car later on

Simmy · 20 Feb 2006 at 10:48

Unlucky mate, Clifton is a right bee for parking

Just learn from it I guess. Nothing can be done about it now.

Treefrog · 20 Feb 2006 at 10:56

Follow their example - steal the next council van that comes round your way?

Whose sig was it that said "Don't steal - the Gov't doesn't like competition"?

fini · 20 Feb 2006 at 11:05

Technically, if you leave an IOU saying that you plan to return it in 99 years, and you don't drive it away (will have to push then) you have committed neither theft nor taking and driving away and thus would not have committed any criminal offences

fini

Phantom · 20 Feb 2006 at 11:10

is there a minimum period they can hold your car for? would they be legally entitiled to say sell it after a while to recouperate parking costs? :eek:

(the police can do this with vehicles used in serious crimes cant they..)

Treefrog · 20 Feb 2006 at 11:16

Phantom said:
is there a minimum period they can hold your car for? would they be legally entitiled to say sell it after a while to recuperate parking costs? (the police can do this with vehicles used in serious crimes can't they..)

The Police can sell it straightaway under the Proceeds of Crime Act if they "believe" it was bought with the money earned from crime.

PaulStat · 20 Feb 2006 at 11:24

Thing is if I weren't the honest sort I could have just hopped in the car and driven it off, it wasn't locked in or anything

Phantom · 20 Feb 2006 at 11:34

PaulStat said:
Thing is if I weren't the honest sort I could have just hopped in the car and driven it off, it wasn't locked in or anything

they'd have had your registration number and could still come at you with the fine and costs for towing etc. trespassing on private property (yes, even though it was your car they had put on there!)

Stretch · 20 Feb 2006 at 11:34

PaulStat said:
Thing is if I weren't the honest sort I could have just hopped in the car and driven it off, it wasn't locked in or anything

They steal it, you steal it back, can't see the problem tbh. Just say you found it where you left it. Make sure you ware a balaclava though as you're bound to be caught on camera.

Cueball · 20 Feb 2006 at 11:45

PaulStat said:
I just had to pay £147 to the council because they had stolen my car and were holding it to ransom!!!!

Thieving SOB's Grrrrrrrr

Don't see why they couldn't just give me a parking ticket, it was hardly in the way of anything.

And all because some git had nicked my parking space, and then I completly forgot to move the car later on

Your car was towed because it was parked illegally.

Therefore, not theft.

Live with it.

PaulStat · 20 Feb 2006 at 11:46

Cueball said:
Your car was towed because it was parked illegally.

Therefore, not theft.

Live with it.

Removing my property without my authorisation is THEFT, whether it's deemed legal or not.

Serj · 20 Feb 2006 at 11:47

PaulStat said:
Removing my property without my authorisation is THEFT, whether it's deemed legal or not.

lol

PaulStat · 20 Feb 2006 at 12:09

And just to prove a point.

Theft: taking of the property or services of another without consent

I know I was in the wrong for parking where I did, and would expect a fine. But when there's no need to tow a car away and then to make the person pay something like 3 times the usual amount of a fine is just plain ridiculous.

Blackstar_solar · 20 Feb 2006 at 13:10

fini said:
Technically, if you leave an IOU saying that you plan to return it in 99 years, and you don't drive it away (will have to push then) you have committed neither theft nor taking and driving away and thus would not have committed any criminal offences

fini

Quality...me starts writing IOUs

Vonhelmet · 20 Feb 2006 at 13:28

PaulStat said:
Removing my property without my authorisation is THEFT, whether it's deemed legal or not.

I imagine that the one law supercedes the other. After all, you wouldn't claim that the police couldn't seize drugs and such like from a drug dealer because it was theft, would you?

Anyway. You parked illegally, they towed your car, you pay a fine. That's the way these things work.

VeNT · 20 Feb 2006 at 14:02

I'd ask them where the £500 was that you'ed left in the glove box was,

Blackstar_solar · 20 Feb 2006 at 14:31

VeNT said:
I'd ask them where the £500 was that you'ed left in the glove box was,

lol and your PC which you just happened to have in the boot to take to a lan

PaulStat · 20 Feb 2006 at 18:26

hmmm My Sister who's a solicitor seems to think they have to have signs saying that tow aways are in operation.

There are none, hmmm might try to contest this. A fine of £30 I'd accept but £147!!!

zain · 20 Feb 2006 at 21:16

Treefrog said:
Follow their example - steal the next council van that comes round your way?

Whose sig was it that said "Don't steal - the Gov't doesn't like competition"?

Haha nice quote.

If you take it further Paul you are pleading ignorance, and the court would probably verbally own you then have you pay all costs. Otherwise I would challenge and so would others, every little unfair rip off thing that the government does and there are many.

mejinks · 21 Feb 2006 at 01:59

There are some strange laws in place now which legalise government theft. I would like to know how an Ordinary law can be passed that superceeds a constitutional act which cannot itself be repealed. For example the Magna Carta says that no man shall be stripped of his rights or possessions, yet the police can remove your right to your property by taking away your car.

Like parking fines, the Bill of Rights act makes it illegal, not just an abuse of process, to fine someone before conviction, yet what is a parking fine if not handed down as a conviction?

How about parking fines attatched to a windscreen? How is that deemed legally served when to be served with official papers it must be sent via registered post, first class post or given by hand.

In a previous post I witnessed an elderly couple have their car towed away in the evening, while parked in a bay, where their disabled badge was clearly visible. On the same night, I witnessed youths taking drugs while hanging about near a shop not to far from the parking bay, yet the police were more interested in towing others away. Looks like motorists are the perpetual criminals.