What stops people avoiding fines by claiming cloned reg?

[Bennet]

Dear Pistonheads,

Apart from common decency, what is stopping everyone who ever receives a parking fine, bus lane fine, speed camera fine, or anything else that relies purely on your registration plate from claiming that they were never there on the day of the alleged offence and that their car must have been cloned?

Or do people whose cars are cloned end up having to pay the fines in these circumstances?

[SS2.]

For starters, the threat of jailtime for attempting to pervert the course of justice.

[HantsRat]

Nothing to stop anyone saying this. Consequences will be very severe though if caught out! If Police get a hint of dishonestly they will take it very seriously and look into it.

[leyorkie]

Chassis number visible through front screen?

[HantsRat]

leyorkie said:

Chassis number visible through front screen?

ANPR camera's are not that clear!

[steveo3002]

what exactly happens if you write and say its a clone , same colour car with your rego ?

[HantsRat]

steveo3002 said:

what exactly happens if you write and say its a clone , same colour car with your rego ?

It will be investigated. You'll no doubt have to create a statement etc to the Police and if they suspect lies, it will be investigated.

[steveo3002]

HantsRat said:

It will be investigated. You'll no doubt have to create a statement etc to the Police and if they suspect lies, it will be investigated.

so if you arent a great letter writer and no proof of being elsehwere you will be branded a liar?

[eatcustard]

steveo3002 said:

what exactly happens if you write and say its a clone , same colour car with your rego ?

Prove where you were at the time of incident

[mgtony]

If the infringement happened in the area where the car is registered then they would most likely suspect that it was your car.
The photos will show details of the car that can identify it like a certain sticker in the rear window, badge or the dealers details at the bottom of the number plate if there's a close-up of it.
Not really worth it for 50 odd quid.

[strain]

people have tried

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2345220/Ge...

[JQ]

Probably happens a fair bit, but if you're the one who gets caught, the consequences can be severe. All of this to save £60 seems madness :

http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/greate...

http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/greate...

[eldar]

steveo3002 said:

so if you arent a great letter writer and no proof of being elsehwere you will be branded a liar?

All about evidence. Is this a one off, is there photo/video evidence, can you show the car was elsewhere, etc. It also may not be a cloned plate, possibly an anpr error.

This guy had a reasonable proof of error...

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/coventry_warwic...

[HantsRat]

steveo3002 said:

so if you arent a great letter writer and no proof of being elsehwere you will be branded a liar?

Not branded a liar just suspicion which the Police would investigate.

[cmaguire]

HantsRat said:

It will be investigated. You'll no doubt have to create a statement etc to the Police and if they suspect lies, it will be investigated.

The default automatic response is to effectively call you a liar in generic official language

[cmaguire]

steveo3002 said:

so if you arent a great letter writer and no proof of being elsehwere you will be branded a liar?

That'll happen anyway

[steveo3002]

intresting on the links above they looked back when the car had previously passed an anpr camera to check for stickers /towbar etc

[cmaguire]

eatcustard said:

Prove where you were at the time of incident

And how likely are most people to be able to do that if they had no expectation of it being required beforehand?

[OldGermanHeaps]

HantsRat said:

ANPR camera's are not that clear!

What if the who is playing in the background and you say enhance while pointing at the screen?

[SS2.]

eatcustard said:

steveo3002 said:

what exactly happens if you write and say its a clone , same colour car with your rego ?

Prove where you were at the time of incident

If the police allege that your vehicle was at a particular place on a particular date and time and you assert that it wasn't, the burden to prove would fall to the police, not you.

Rest assured that any such claim by the accused would be rigorously investigated, though.

Edited by SS2. on Wednesday 25th January 11:23