Bailiffs called in to recover licence cash ...from BBC!
BAILIFFS were instructed to collect a debt from the BBC after they refused to reimburse a pensioner for a TV licence he should have had free.
When Haydn Welch, 63, checked his 82-year-old uncle’s accounts he noticed he had been paying to watch television, despite licences being free for over-75s until August last year.
Haydn Welch, from Somerset, wrote to the BBC’S TV Licensing arm requesting a refund for nearly £1,000 overpaid in licence fees over the seven years – but was refused.
The BBC claimed it could not help as it did not keep records of customers’ dates of birth, so had no way of knowing when a customer was eligible for a free licence.
Mr Welch convinced his uncle’s building society to refund the cash on the basis that the amount charged on the direct debit was wrong.
But still upset at the BBC’S attitude Mr Welch decided to issue a court summons for the interest owed on the debt – totalling £350.
He explained: “It is offensive for the BBC to hang on to this money. It is the principle. I asked them to repay eight per cent in interest on the £1,000 they had taken, but they told me the onus was on my uncle to tell them he did not require one.
“For them to keep an elderly man’s money for seven years and then say it was his fault is really upsetting.
“They ignored the summons and subsequently a judgment was found in my favour. Then they ignored the judgment and failed to pay up. That’s when I instructed bailiffs to recover my £350, which they did by phone.
“The whole thing was a debacle. They prevaricated and ignored everything until ultimately bailiffs had to call them to recover the cash owed.”
Since August last year five million people over the age of 75 lost their right to a free TV Licence after a change in the law. Mr Welch said: “We still had to swallow hard in the end, because now he has to start paying the licence again. It’s galling to say the least.”
A recent report claimed 750,000 older people have refused to pay for ATV licence.
That equates to a £117million deficit for the BBC. From April 1 the annual cost of a licence is to increase from £157.50 to £159.
Last night the BBC admitted it was forced to settle the claim. Managers blamed their failure to respond to a court summons on postal delays during the pandemic. The BBC added it would be writing to Mr Welch to apologise for delays in this case.
TV Licensing said: “We have no record of a refund application from the customer in question, which is why no refund was issued.
“The BBC only received details of court proceedings after the judgment had been made and does not accept legal responsibility. But the decision was taken not to pursue matters further and the case has been resolved.”
“KIDNAPPED” Princess Latifa was warned nothing could force her father to release her and told “nobody is stronger than him”, she claims in new audio footage.
The recordings are set to be unveiled this week and in them Latifa will claim she is being “brainwashed” by her “captors”.
The daughter of the ruler of Dubai tried to flee the country in 2018. Her escape was thwarted when armed Indian commandos boarded the yacht she was on.
The Dubai royal family say this was a rescue mission but she later sent secret video messages to friends accusing her father, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al Maktoum, 71, of holding her “hostage” in a villa.
The new recording was one of several that left United Nation representatives “shocked, horrified and heartbroken” when they were revealed to them in a private video conference on Thursday, her lawyer told the Sunday Express.
In the footage, Princess Latifa recalls a confidant of her father telling her of the sheikh’s power.
The 35-year-old princess, speaking at the time of the event in summer 2019, says in the audio: “He is saying ‘nobody can make your father let you be free, nobody. Nobody is stronger than him.’
“Yeah, it is all like brainwashing, they are trying to discourage me.”
The Dubai royals have denied any wrongdoing and insist that Latifa is safe and at home.
Her lawyers say the new audio and video files feature the most
“detailed accounts of abuse yet seen”, including what Latifa says happened on the boat, as well as her treatment in captivity.
Latifa’s lawyer David Haigh said: “The key people in the UN who deal with human rights abuses and violence against women were played unedited, unreleased videos that cover all the dangers and abuses the princess has faced.you could see the horror on their faces. The footage signifies her captors act with impunity.”
It comes as former UN human rights envoy Mary Robinson called not intervening in Latifa’s case her “biggest” mistake.
Dr Robinson, the ex-president of Ireland, flew to Dubai in December 2018 for a lunch at which Latifa was present. Following the meeting, Dr Robinson described her as a “troubled young woman”.
In an interview with RTE’S Late Late Show on Friday, Dr Robinson said: “I made a mistake. I was naive. I should have been more alert. I’ve made mistakes before and that’s the biggest one.”
Latifa’s older sister Shamsa vanished 20 years ago. It is claimed she was kidnapped in Cambridge and flown by private jet to Dubai.
‘You could see the horror on the UN’S faces as the tapes of Latifa played’