Fare dodgers could avoid court shame by paying fines online
TRAIN fare dodgers may be allowed to admit their guilt and pay a fine online, ministers said yesterday.
The plans to shift the bulk of rail and tram fare evasion cases out of courts will be put before MPs today.
Ministers believe an online system could spare magistrates from having to hear thousands of faredodging cases each year, saving the courts time and money.
But as offenders will be able to avoid a public court hearing, the move is certain to provoke criticism among campaigners who will see it as a further erosion of the principles of open justice. If the scheme is a success it could be extended to cover offences such as TV licence evasion – the most common heard in the courts – minor fly-tipping and speeding.
The plans, in the Prisons and Courts Bill, will mean those accused of fare dodging will be able to visit a website with details of the evidence against them. If they plead guilty they will be shown a fine, and will then be able to accept the conviction and pay.
Fines are usually set based on the offender’s income and vary between half and one-and-a-half times weekly earnings. Those who plead not guilty will still be able to go to court to make their case.
Officials estimate that the system would initially deal with around 7,000 cases of travelling without a ticket annually. It is also expected to handle 1,300 cases a year of fishing without a licence.
The move is part of plans to streamline the magistrates’ courts system – which sees around 890,000 minor cases every year which cannot result in a prison sentence and in which there is no identifiable victim. The most expensive offence is TV licence evasion. In 2015 some 166,119 individuals were fined for the crime in England and Wales, and magistrates tend to handle cases in blocks of up to 80 in a morning.
Although in the past the Ministry of Justice has said TV licence cases take up only 0.3 per cent of court time, JPs must set penalties of up to £1,000 linked to income. The average fine is £170.
Courts have been told to impose higher fines for those who fail to pay their licence fee while subscribing to satellite, cable or online services. It is also thought evasion may rise when the licence fee is increased to £147 next month.
Under the measures in the Bill, a further 60,000 pre-trial hearings in magistrates’ court and 17,000 contested bail hearings can also take place by video, along with 30,000 pre-trial hearings in crown court.
The Ministry of Justice says this will save 34,000 hours of courtroom time.
Video booths will be installed to allow members of the media and public to observe virtual hearings from court buildings.
Lists and results of cases which have taken place online, as well as those conducted in a physical courtroom, will also be available digitally under the plans.
Justice minister Sir Oliver Heald QC said: ‘Britain has the best justice system in the world, but it should also be the most modern.’
‘We need a modern justice system’