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Helen Dale's avatar

As I say in the piece, the huge fixed penalty notices were contested (as part of a campaign organised by the two barristers I mention) and reduced (in court) to fines. The reduction was often from £10K to £50. Unfortunately, the transition from FPN to fine means a conviction is recorded.

In my view, a large FPN is simply a shakedown designed to make someone pay for a clean Disclosure & Barring Record (which you need for quite a lot of jobs in the UK).

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Darij Grinberg's avatar

Oh wow, that's one devious catch-22. And I thought American plea bargains were a shakedown...

A bit surprised the Tories aren't campaigning on getting these scarlet letters removed.

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Helen Dale's avatar

They are (or were), until the government blew itself up. There has also been litigation around the issue (judicial review and the like).

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