Scott & Co Aberdeen

[hka1996]

Hi we have just got a charge for payment from the above company. It was signed by "John Smart- Sheriff Officer". However when I went onto the S.M.A.S.O website, and searched for him, there were no records found. Does this mean that he is in fact not a sheriff officer, and if so does this fact make any difference to the charge that he served on us?

 

 

Many thanks for any advice.

[rory32]

The fact that he does not appear on the register may be because they have not updated it. It may be worth dropping the society an e-mail (the contact details are on the website) to see if he is qualified.

 

To practice as a sheriff officer as well as undergoing a period of training with a person who is in practice a Sheriff Officer he would need to have passed an examination conducted by the Society of Messengers-At-Arms & Sheriff Officers. He would also need to have received a commission to act as one from the sheriff court - so your local court should have a record if he has been granted a commission and SMASO will have a record of him if he has passed the exam.

 

To act as a sheriff officer when you are not qualified or don't hold a commission is a fairly serious offence.

 

What was the charge in relation too? The majority of court papers, etc. need to be served by a sheriff officer. It's incompetent to do otherwise.

[hka1996]

Thanks for replying, I would have thought he'd have been on the register as he was at my door a 3 years ago about a parking ticket, and he signed that charge as a sheriff officer, so it is not like he id just newly qualified.

 

The charge is a parking ticket that my son got while driving my car, he was parked in a loading bay, even though he was unloading goods into a shop that he had sold them on my behalf, he didn't tell me he got a ticket, and had probably hidden any letters about it, until today, I have just written to the council explaining the situation and given them the sales receipt that shows he brought the goods (several guitars in large cases) to their shop with the date and time.