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    • He was one of four former top executives from Sam Bankman-Fried's firms to plead guilty to charges.View the full article
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    • further polished WS using above suggestions and also included couple of more modifications highlighted in orange are those ok to include?   Background   1.1  The Defendant received the Parking Charge Notice (PCN) on the 06th of January 2020 following the vehicle being parked at Arla Old Dairy, South Ruislip on the 05th of December 2019.   Unfair PCN   2.1  On 19th December 2023 the Defendant sent the Claimant's solicitors a CPR request.  As shown in Exhibit 1 (pages 7-13) sent by the solicitors the signage displayed in their evidence clearly shows a £60.00 parking charge notice (which will be reduced to £30 if paid within 14 days of issue).  2.2  Yet the PCN sent by the Claimant is for a £100.00 parking charge notice (reduced to £60 if paid within 30 days of issue).   2.3        The Claimant relies on signage to create a contract.  It is unlawful for the Claimant to write that the charge is £60 on their signs and then send demands for £100.    2.4        The unlawful £100 charge is also the basis for the Claimant's Particulars of Claim.  No Locus Standi  3.1  I do not believe a contract with the landowner, that is provided following the defendant’s CPR request, gives MET Parking Services a right to bring claims in their own name. Definition of “Relevant contract” from the Protection of Freedoms Act 2012, Schedule 4,  2 [1] means a contract Including a contract arising only when the vehicle was parked on the relevant land between the driver and a person who is-   (a) the owner or occupier of the land; or   (b) Authorised, under or by virtue of arrangements made by the owner or occupier of the land, to enter into a contract with the driver requiring the payment of parking charges in respect of the parking of the vehicle on the land. According to https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2006/46/section/44   For a contract to be valid, it requires a director from each company to sign and then two independent witnesses must confirm those signatures.   3.2  The Defendant requested to see such a contract in the CPR request.  The fact that no contract has been produced with the witness signatures present means the contract has not been validly executed. Therefore, there can be no contract established between MET Parking Services and the motorist. Even if “Parking in Electric Bay” could form a contract (which it cannot), it is immaterial. There is no valid contract.  Illegal Conduct – No Contract Formed   4.1 At the time of writing, the Claimant has failed to provide the following, in response to the CPR request from myself.   4.2        The legal contract between the Claimant and the landowner (which in this case is Standard Life Investments UK) to provide evidence that there is an agreement in place with landowner with the necessary authority to issue parking charge notices and to pursue payment by means of litigation.   4.3 Proof of planning permission granted for signage etc under the Town and country Planning Act 1990. Lack of planning permission is a criminal offence under this Act and no contract can be formed where criminality is involved.   4.4        I also do not believe the claimant possesses these documents.   No Keeper Liability   5.1        The defendant was not the driver at the time and date mentioned in the PCN and the claimant has not established keeper liability under schedule 4 of the PoFA 2012. In this matter, the defendant puts it to the claimant to produce strict proof as to who was driving at the time.   5.2 The claimant in their Notice To Keeper also failed to comply with PoFA 2012 Schedule 4 section 9[2][f] while mentioning “the right to recover from the keeper so much of that parking charge as remains unpaid” where they did not include statement “(if all the applicable conditions under this Schedule are met)”.     5.3         The claimant did not mention parking period, times on the photographs are separate from the PCN and in any case are that arrival and departure times not the parking period since their times include driving to and from the parking space as a minimum and can include extra time to allow pedestrians and other vehicles to pass in front.    Protection of Freedoms Act 2012   The notice must -   (a) specify the vehicle, the relevant land on which it was parked and the period of parking to which the notice relates;  22. In the persuasive judgement K4GF167G - Premier Park Ltd v Mr Mathur - Horsham County Court – 5 January 2024 it was on this very point that the judge dismissed this claim.  5.4  A the PCN does not comply with the Act the Defendant as keeper is not liable.  No Breach of Contract   6.1       No breach of contract occurred because the PCN and contract provided as part of the defendant’s CPR request shows different post code, PCN shows HA4 0EY while contract shows HA4 0FY. According to PCN defendant parked on HA4 0EY which does not appear to be subject to the postcode covered by the contract.  6.2         The entrance sign does not mention anything about there being other terms inside the car park so does not offer a contract which makes it only an offer to treat,  Interest  7.1  It is unreasonable for the Claimant to delay litigation for  Double Recovery   7.2  The claim is littered with made-up charges.  7.3  As noted above, the Claimant's signs state a £60 charge yet their PCN is for £100.  7.4  As well as the £100 parking charge, the Claimant seeks recovery of an additional £70.  This is simply a poor attempt to circumvent the legal costs cap at small claims.  7.5 Since 2019, many County Courts have considered claims in excess of £100 to be an abuse of process leading to them being struck out ab initio. An example, in the Caernarfon Court in VCS v Davies, case No. FTQZ4W28 on 4th September 2019, District Judge Jones-Evans stated “Upon it being recorded that District Judge Jones- Evans has over a very significant period of time warned advocates (...) in many cases of this nature before this court that their claim for £60 is unenforceable in law and is an abuse of process and is nothing more than a poor attempt to go behind the decision of the Supreme Court v Beavis which inter alia decided that a figure of £160 as a global sum claimed in this case would be a penalty and not a genuine pre-estimate of loss and therefore unenforceable in law and if the practice continued, he would treat all cases as a claim for £160 and therefore a penalty and unenforceable in law it is hereby declared (…) the claim is struck out and declared to be wholly without merit and an abuse of process.”  7.6 In Claim Nos. F0DP806M and F0DP201T, District Judge Taylor echoed earlier General Judgment or Orders of District Judge Grand, stating ''It is ordered that the claim is struck out as an abuse of process. The claim contains a substantial charge additional to the parking charge which it is alleged the Defendant contracted to pay. This additional charge is not recoverabl15e under the Protection of Freedoms Act 2012, Schedule 4 nor with reference to the judgment in Parking Eye v Beavis. It is an abuse of process from the Claimant to issue a knowingly inflated claim for an additional sum which it is not entitled to recover. This order has been made by the court of its own initiative without a hearing pursuant to CPR Rule 3.3(4)) of the Civil Procedure Rules 1998...''  7.7 In the persuasive case of G4QZ465V - Excel Parking Services Ltd v Wilkinson – Bradford County Court -2 July 2020 (Exhibit 4) the judge had decided that Excel had won. However, due to Excel adding on the £60 the Judge dismissed the case.  7.8        The addition of costs not previously specified on signage are also in breach of the Consumer Rights Act 2015, Schedule 2, specifically paras 6, 10 and 14.   7.9        It is the Defendant’s position that the Claimant in this case has knowingly submitted inflated costs and thus the entire claim should be similarly struck out in accordance with Civil Procedure Rule 3.3(4).   In Conclusion   8.1        I invite the court to dismiss the claim.  Statement of Truth  I believe that the facts stated in this witness statement are true. I understand that proceedings for contempt of court may be brought against anyone who makes, or causes to be made, a false statement in a document verified by a statement of truth without an honest belief in its truth.   
    • Well the difference is that in all our other cases It was Kev who was trying to entrap the motorist so sticking two fingers up to him and daring him to try court was from a position of strength. In your case, sorry, you made a mistake so you're not in the position of strength.  I've looked on Google Maps and the signs are few & far between as per Kev's MO, but there is an entrance sign saying "Pay & Display" (and you've admitted in writing that you knew you had to pay) and the signs by the payment machines do say "Sea View Car Park" (and you've admitted in writing you paid the wrong car park ... and maybe outed yourself as the driver). Something I missed in my previous post is that the LoC is only for one ticket, not two. Sorry, but it's impossible to definitively advise what to so. Personally I'd probably gamble on Kev being a serial bottler of court and reply with a snotty letter ridiculing the signage (given you mentioned the signage in your appeal) - but it is a gamble.  
    • No! What has happened is that your pix were up-to-date: 5 hours' maximum stay and £100 PCN. The lazy solicitors have sent ancient pictures: 4 hours' maximum stay and £60 PCN. Don't let on!  Let them be hoisted by their own lazy petard in the court hearing (if they don't bottle before).
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    • We have finally managed to obtain the transcript of this case.

      The judge's reasoning is very useful and will certainly be helpful in any other cases relating to third-party rights where the customer has contracted with the courier company by using a broker.
      This is generally speaking the problem with using PackLink who are domiciled in Spain and very conveniently out of reach of the British justice system.

      Frankly I don't think that is any accident.

      One of the points that the judge made was that the customers contract with the broker specifically refers to the courier – and it is clear that the courier knows that they are acting for a third party. There is no need to name the third party. They just have to be recognisably part of a class of person – such as a sender or a recipient of the parcel.

      Please note that a recent case against UPS failed on exactly the same issue with the judge held that the Contracts (Rights of Third Parties) Act 1999 did not apply.

      We will be getting that transcript very soon. We will look at it and we will understand how the judge made such catastrophic mistakes. It was a very poor judgement.
      We will be recommending that people do include this adverse judgement in their bundle so that when they go to county court the judge will see both sides and see the arguments against this adverse judgement.
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      This is good ethical practice.

      It would be very nice if the parcel delivery companies – including EVRi – practised this kind of thing as well.

       

      OT APPROVED, 365MC637, FAROOQ, EVRi, 12.07.23 (BRENT) - J v4.pdf
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The sub-postmasters scandal


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11 hours ago, honeybee13 said:

It has similarities to the Covid inquiry. They would rather appear to be idiots by claiming not to remember than to admit the truth.

I believe Vennells and other execs are appearing at the Horizon inquiry this year.

It's a very well run inquiry and Wyn Wlliams might look a bit passed it but he's as sharp as a knife. He had some health issues half way through it so now appears at the inquiry via video from home but I've got a lot of faith in him. Jason Beer, lead counsel, is utterly forensic and doesn't pull a punch. It started out  just as a judge led independent inquiry but then gained the status of a full public inquiry with all the powers that go with it.

Apparently the inquiry has recently obtained 80 covert recordings of discussions between PO execs including Venells. When she is eventually called to give evidence, clear your diary, order in popcorn.

Edited by cjcregg
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Here's the inquiry schedule for this year. There are quite a few names we're familiar with now but I couldn't spot Vennells or Van den Bogerd.

WWW.POSTOFFICEHORIZONINQUIRY.ORG.UK

Hearings will normally take place on Tuesdays to Fridays, from 10:00 to 16:30. The below schedule is indicative and may be subject to change...

 

Illegitimi non carborundum

 

 

 

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The inquiry has only published the witness schedule for some of the remainder of the current phase (4) which deals with the actual prosecutions. I expect Venells etc will appear in phase 6 which deals with oversight of and response to the scandal, so sometime in late spring/summer.

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I've actually done a number of those HB - most extensive around 35 years ago i spent a year examining and correcting the expenditure of a number of capital projects totaling in the £millions.

Its not even technically complex - just requires being methodical - and actually doing the work. Nothing criminal evidenced in the end - just 'errors and necessity (booking expensive items on wrong projects or 'needing' too as correct project was awaiting authorisation  and intent to move costs later which got forgotten) 

You start from a point of 'theres something wrong here' or 'is there something criminal going on here' when one project is audited, and its quite enlightening how pulling on just a few threads starts quite an avalanche of issues, which you run through correcting each in turn.

A criminal conviction MUST/SHOULD have required detail of where money/items to that sum was missing from - not just a figure hanging in the air.

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The Tory Legacy

Record high: Taxes, Immigration, Excrement in waterways, energy company/crony profits

Crumbling: Hospitals, Schools, council services, businesses and roads

 

If only the Govt had thrown a protective ring around care homes

with the same gusto they do around their crooked MPs

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Just imagine - I have a line of output here that says you've stolen 30,000 pounds this month (as last months before the upgrade) was fine

see - 120,000 income - 120,000 costs and transferred = £30,000 missing

 

or - what were you doing ordering £30,000 of bricks and concrete delivered to our new site 300 miles away at our expense

- answer - I have no idea what you are talking about - I didnt

- response - book em asset strip em lock em up and throw away the key

Edited by tobyjugg2

The Tory Legacy

Record high: Taxes, Immigration, Excrement in waterways, energy company/crony profits

Crumbling: Hospitals, Schools, council services, businesses and roads

 

If only the Govt had thrown a protective ring around care homes

with the same gusto they do around their crooked MPs

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I've spent an hour running through some of the info, and how these prosecutions were ever actioned is utterly beyond me. Can only be (it seems to me) that the PO prosecution system is simply NOT fit for purpose.

Simple fact that apparently fujitsu staff were able to access the individual terminals even raises questions about any (if there are any) possibly genuine dodgy money transfers/missing money without definitive detailed evidence justifying the charges - even more so than that the cases should have had that anyway to prosecute or even allege wrongdoing.

Seems unquestionable that all convictions based solely on the Horizon system, should be immediately quashed and compensation paid. If the PO want to bring fresh/resubmit charges - let them do it through the normal legal system.

 

That the PO are seemingly spending vast sums on lawyers obstructing the payment of compensation seems little more than piling insult and injury on top of insult and injury

Edited by tobyjugg2

The Tory Legacy

Record high: Taxes, Immigration, Excrement in waterways, energy company/crony profits

Crumbling: Hospitals, Schools, council services, businesses and roads

 

If only the Govt had thrown a protective ring around care homes

with the same gusto they do around their crooked MPs

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6 hours ago, cjcregg said:

It's a very well run inquiry and Wyn Wlliams might look a bit passed it but he's as sharp as a knife. He had some health issues half way through it so now appears at the inquiry via video from home but I've got a lot of faith in him. Jason Beer, lead counsel, is utterly forensic and doesn't pull a punch. It started out  just as a judge led independent inquiry but then gained the status of a full public inquiry with all the powers that go with it.

Apparently the inquiry has recently obtained 80 covert recordings of discussions between PO execs including Venells. When she is eventually called to give evidence, clear your diary, order in popcorn.

As were many of the covid enquiry - didnt stop all the 'dont remember' 'lost those whatsapps' dont recognise that claim and I lost the phone for that period let alone the 'I did brilliant it was them others' claims

Innocent until proven guilty? Has to be the default BUT Many of these are clearly guilty - just they effectively claim  rank incompetence as an alternative to rampant criminality.

Sorry yerhonor, I dont remember pushing him and anyway how could I be expected to know pushing him would result in him going off the cliff he was next too, let alone that a 200 foot fall would harm him, nor should I just because I was paid a fortune to run the site.

Edited by tobyjugg2

The Tory Legacy

Record high: Taxes, Immigration, Excrement in waterways, energy company/crony profits

Crumbling: Hospitals, Schools, council services, businesses and roads

 

If only the Govt had thrown a protective ring around care homes

with the same gusto they do around their crooked MPs

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LibDems' Daisy Cooper, in the House.

Paula Vennells is right to hand back her CBE, but the Conservatives still need to explain why they gave it to her in the first place in 2019, along with a plum job at the top of the Cabinet Office.

Oliver Dowden needs to explain why he failed to sack Paula Vennells as a Cabinet Office director when the high court judgment was handed down in 2019, exposing her full involvement in the Horizon scandal.

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Illegitimi non carborundum

 

 

 

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and she's quite specifically just apologised ONLY for the small number of postmasters who have so far had their convictions overturned hasn't she? - and thats MORE than bad enough (both the weasely apology and the number afflicted) for severe criminal penalties IMO

When her (and Cress' among others) pensions and bonuses being clawed back?

- or do we have to wait for a new government to even see the PROVEN 'unsafe' at best prosecutions overturned

 

and - seen the figures on compensation awarded so far (even if they haven't got it)

something like £58 million awarded after years of legal wrangling and obstructing - of which around 80% is going to lawyers etc.

Surely all costs should be born by the corporate perpetrator, with the victims receiving the full compensation?

 

 

Edited by tobyjugg2

The Tory Legacy

Record high: Taxes, Immigration, Excrement in waterways, energy company/crony profits

Crumbling: Hospitals, Schools, council services, businesses and roads

 

If only the Govt had thrown a protective ring around care homes

with the same gusto they do around their crooked MPs

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I hadn't picked up that she wasn't apologising to everyone, TJ.

Fujitsu seem to be getting more attention now, I really hope the spotlight turns on them. Hopefully they can't hide behind the inquiry forever.

Illegitimi non carborundum

 

 

 

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Not sure of the contract details with Fujitsu (of course) let alone any culpability, or the actual incolvement of politicians in the day to day running

user testing and signoff by end user reps/senior management is largely standard .. if it wasn't - thats also their fault.

 

- I think the focus should really be on the PO senior staff.  I agree with  @cjcregg that this seems primarily corporate 'malfeasance which its already long overdue for severe penalties against those in the PO that knew (or should have known) and proper compensation from the company/companies insurers itself

- supplier and political blame should come out the other end of that - not a distraction before or during it. Its the people with oversight of the proper installation, testing and monitoring of the processes who should be in everyones sights.

 

lets not forget that a decade ago:

"This was a period when an external review of the Horizon IT system was carried out by the forensic accountants Second Sight, brought in by the Post Office as pressure mounted from a small group of MPs and the Justice for Subpostmasters Alliance (JFSA) set up by victims to campaign for their innocence.

Second Sight’s interim report found evidence of flaws and bugs in Horizon. On two occasions, “defects” in the system had resulted in a shortfall of about £9,000 at 76 branches."

DESPITE this:

"However, the Post Office maintained that there was “absolutely no evidence of any systemic issues with the computer system”. (Joe) Swinson backed up this position in a statement to the House of Commons."

-- so they brought in Ernst&Young - who gave it a clean bill didn't they ?

- that should be looked at.

The Tory Legacy

Record high: Taxes, Immigration, Excrement in waterways, energy company/crony profits

Crumbling: Hospitals, Schools, council services, businesses and roads

 

If only the Govt had thrown a protective ring around care homes

with the same gusto they do around their crooked MPs

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It's quite possible that clever lawyers for Fujitsu stitched up HMG procurement on the contract, it seems to happen regularly.

A cynic could say it stipulates that anything that goes wrong is down to the SPMs.

Illegitimi non carborundum

 

 

 

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Undoubtedly

but user acceptance testing is A if not THE crucial part of sign-off of projects

- supposed to ensure that the system does what is required and to the customers specifications.

 

The Tory Legacy

Record high: Taxes, Immigration, Excrement in waterways, energy company/crony profits

Crumbling: Hospitals, Schools, council services, businesses and roads

 

If only the Govt had thrown a protective ring around care homes

with the same gusto they do around their crooked MPs

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