Letter from Marston for an Outstanding Amount (HMCTS) - now living abroad

[KingKatana]

Hi People,

 

hope somebody can give me some advice what to do.

 

 

I used to live in the Uk for 3 years.

Now I'm back in my home country since 5 months in the EU.

 

 

My old flatmate has send me a Letter from Marston over. Were they claim I owe HMCTS ..... more than 600BPF! He hasn't informed them where I live and will not do so.

 

Only 2 Client ref. Numbers are on the letter nothing more! Not for what they charge me! (what could that be any thoughts?)

 

I'm normal the sort of guy who always payed his bills. I never received a warning or any thing for a missing payment.

 

Letter says:

We are in possession of a Magistrates Court Order as a consequence of non payment of the above fine.

Your residence at the above address has been identified by Marston Groups...

That i have failed to pay the previous fine... (never got any letter befor)

 

They can take my belongings and may increase the costs... (I got nothing left in the UK^^)

 

So they've got no clue where I live.

I'm not sure if i should contact them.

 

 

But it buggers me because I want to know what they claim "I haven't paid".

 

 

Other wise I don't want to raise the bill higher and higher and maby need to pay the high amount in the end!

 

 

Contact them or let them think I got no clue about all this.

 

 

I really don't know what to do, every advice or any thoughts I'm very thankful for.

[GrumpyToSayTheLeast]

If its a magistrates fine, id probably contact them and arrange to pay. If they cant collect as you refuse to deal with it, you could be sent to prison. That said, where in the EU are you now and will you ever return to the UK?

[unclebulgaria67]

Find out what this fine is first and then deal with it with the court directly if you can.

 

See if there is a record using this site ( They charge a small fee)

 

http://www.trustonline.org.uk/understand-judgments-fines/entries-on-the-england-and-wales-register/fines-defaults-and-the-register

 

Or email Marstons saying that you are resident abroad and can they provide details of what they are chasing, the Magistrates court address that is dealing with it, so that you can look into it further. If you never received the paperwork from the court, you may just be able to pay the fine and not the charges that have been added. But you would need to get this agreed with the court and complete any forms they required.

[KingKatana]

Thx Guys,

 

Thanks for your answers I live now in Germany. I would go back to the UK but just for Holidays visiting my friends. (not for business or to live there)

Wow its pretty serious. Still can't believe it^^ But they can't sent me to prison when i am living in Germany. Or can they?

But I am OK to pay the charge if i did something wrong. (so the 650bpf are with charges) Just a Pain in the ar** that i didn't got the fine or what it is in the UK.

I try now to find out thank u very much for the link!

 

What should i choose for serching?

 

-England and Wales Orders & Judgments

-England and Wales High Court Judgments

-England and Wales Fine Defaults

 

I have red a lot of negative things about Marston so I am trying it with the link.

 

How is the best way to contact the court ? By letter, e-mail or even phone?

 

Thank you for your time!

[unclebulgaria67]

England & Wales fine defaults. The £650 being chased probably includes £310 in charges which Marstons think are due. But if you never had any paperwork from the court related to the fine, you should not have to pay these.

 

If you find out which court it is, then you can look up the address online just by searching for it. All the addresses and phone numbers are online, but if you want an email address you may have to phone them.

 

You would not get arrested in Germany or face any problems travelling to the UK. There are a huge number of fines that don't get paid and they are just chased by companies like Marstons on behalf of the courts.

[KingKatana]

Hey Unclebulgaria67,

 

Thx for your answer again! I checked all three places I'ved lived in the UK and on all three is nothing registered!? (It was 12 Pound) With England Wales fine defaults.Luckily I still got my Debit Card!

 

May the best is, I write to Marston. How do u think should I write? Maby I add the three trust online results with the e-mail? Or could it be that trust online hasn't found my fine? I think now they did a mistake!

Maby they search a person with the same name but not me?

 

Have u got any clue what kind of fine it would be? Driving to fast? Council Tax? I don't know... 340BPF is quiet a lot for a fine! I can't think of anything it could be involving me.

 

Your help is very appreciated

 

Thx Mate

[unclebulgaria67]

It could be motoring related, if you had a car registered in the UK. It could be anything. It probably is not council tax.

 

Write to Marstons from your German address, saying that you have been aware of a letter sent by them to your last known UK address. That you have checked with the Magistrates court records and there is no fine registered in your name at any UK address you have lived at. That you believe they have traced the wrong person and suggest that they check with HMCTS about what has happened, as a mistake appears to have been made.

 

Then see how they reply.

[KingKatana]

Hey Unclebulgaria,

 

I also never had a car registered in the UK with under my Name. I used to drive a company car. Every ticket, fine motoring related would be sent to my company first and then they would contact me that I have to pay a fine. (They have my German and used to have all of my old Addresses for sure)

 

But when it could be anything I will see what they respond.

 

Should i really give them my German Address? I don't want to be hassled by them now in Germany too.

Do you think a e-mail isn't enough? Might not formal enough...

 

I will donate now. Hope that is the best i can do in your opinion to? (I should donate to you really for your help xD)

 

You really helped me out thank you very much again!

[unclebulgaria67]

You can try an email, but they may not believe that you are in Germany, whereas a letter with your German address, atleast means they can see you are not in the UK.

 

They can chase you in Germany, but I doubt that they would ever try to enforce via German courts. If you gave them your German address, atleast you are giving them the opportunity of sending you the full details.

[oleg]

Since it is improbable that action would be taken against you in Germany, and nothing to prevent you visiting UK, I would normally have asked why contact them at all, let them whistle in the wind. However, on this occasion, I would, if I were you, be a little concerned that Marston may visit my friend, possibly threatening to remove goods.

 

Although they don't have your address they could, if they considered it worthwhile, employ a German tracing service. Marston would add a fee for this to the existing bill.

 

If you are keen to contact them, but by email, no harm trying that first. However, I think it will fail to convince them that you're no longer here.

[KingKatana]

Thx for the replies,

 

that's the problem if he wouldn't be my mate I never know about all this!

But he sounds scared and told me they can get in to his house legally without his consent and take stuff away and sell it to cover the money I owe. That Bailiffs have a lot of Power and so on... And he don't want them visiting him!

 

I tolled him they can't. He is not involved in this case, just his address I used to live at. It would be like braking in to his property and steal his stuff. They would visit him and try to scare him and to try finding out my new address. Or Iam wrong?

 

I have read a Thread how to deal with them when they turn up and try to scare u. To print out some §§ and take a pic of the person who turns up and call the Police (or tell him u are calling the police) somebody know how i can protect my mate? Some body know this Thread or how he has to deal with em?

 

Ffs still don't know what to do. Oleg exactly why I am not to sure to wright them back by letter gonna hunt me then in Germany and even more money is in their pot -_-.

 

But I still cant understand why is there no registration on the magistrates court what Marston claim there is!

[unclebulgaria67]

You can write to them from Germany, so they can see you live there. If they go around to your friends house they will believe it is you. For a criminal fine, enforcement agents can break into a property, but not when no one is at the property.

 

Or If your friend contacts the bailiff and provides proof that they live at the address and not you, then they may search somewhere else. Depends on whether your friend is willing to do this. If they can do so and the enforcement agent stops their action, then you would not have to contact them yourself.

 

So you have two options. In your position, I would write to them from Germany, saying that you believe they have traced the wrong person, as you have checked with Magistrates courts and there is nothing outstanding related to you. Also you are not aware of having left anything unpaid on returning to Germany. Marstons will probably just return the case to the courts and put it down as they cannot trace the person owing the money.

[ScarletPimpernel]

Since it is improbable that action would be taken against you in Germany,

 

 

 

The EU cross-border enforcement directive now applies to the UK, so whilst it may be improbable I wouldn't say that it's impossible.