As people should realise paperwork is very important.
Following the legal procedure is of paramount importance, as the defendent/respondent could be falsely accused.
Driving offences in court are listed in the criminal list, as seen in a screen capture below:
In ANY criminal, prosecution, the prosecution bears the burden of proof, which means that the prosecution must prove its case, where the prosecution MUST meet a degree of proof beyond reasonable doubt.
Driving offences, being criminal by default, are subject to strict liablity, that being the accused is first and foremost guilty where they must prove otherwise.
Since the Infringements Act 2006, there have been no lawfully produced warrants arising from fines, for the so called Victorian Sheriff to act on, but they did and still do.
At the end of the day it is up to
you (the accused) to comprehend the legal procedure and call them out on it.
After all any (nice) judicial registrar / magistrate should tell you that
ignorance of the law is no excuse.
Please note: we do not recommend any 'natural person' enter into a payment plan.
See article from 26 Jun 2018 by Star Weekly of the headline:
Macedon Ranges residents owe millions in unpaid fines
More than 2500 Macedon Ranges residents have failed to pay their fines, according to the Sheriff’s office.
Outstanding warrants data recently released by the Victorian Sheriff
reveals there were 16,463 outstanding warrants in the Macedon Ranges,
totalling $7.2 million.
The warrants relate to civil, criminal and corporate offences by 2619 people. The average person owes $2764.
Across Hume, the sheriff’s office is chasing $115.8 million in
outstanding warrants for 28,280 people, with the average debt more than
$4000.
Sheriff Warwick Knight said the data highlighted the importance of dealing with infringements early.
“It is important to deal with your fines as soon as possible to avoid
additional penalties and the infringement becoming a warrant,” he said.
“People who receive a fine can request an internal review, nominate a
driver, apply for a payment plan, or elect to have the matter heard by
the court and we encourage them to come and speak to us about their
options.”
Across Victoria, the value of outstanding warrants hit $2 billion – up 9 per cent from last year.
Mr Knight said people can apply to Fines Victoria to consolidate their fines into one, easy to manage payment arrangement.
He said people experiencing financial hardship, mental illness,
addiction or homelessness can also apply to reduce their fine debt by
undertaking volunteer work, educational, vocational and life skills
courses, medical and mental health treatment or counselling and
mentoring activities to address any of their underlying circumstances.
