Tuesday 1st June 2004

Rogue Clamper in Court

Clamper given anti-social behaviour order thingy to stop him hassling innocent motorists

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A wheel clamper in Portsmouth has become the first in the UK to be clamped by an interim anti social behaviour order. It's the result of moves by Portsmouth City Council and police who had become increasingly worried about the man's activities. It means that the clamping boss could face five years in prison if he breaches the order.

The court awarded the interim anti social behaviour order on the grounds that it was necessary to protect the public from further anti-social acts from the clamper - defined as behaviour likely to cause harassment, alarm or distress.

Edmund King, executive director of the RAC Foundation said: "We applaud Portsmouth City Council and the police for standing up for the rights of motorists – I am sure that many other authorities will be following this case with great interest and may follow suit if they have a similar clamping nightmare on their patch ."

He continued, barely taking a breath: "If decent regulation cannot be introduced by the end of the year we should follow the Scots example and just outlaw clamping as theft and extortion ".

Amongst the activities prohibited by the order are:

• Clamping or attempting to clamp a vehicle while the engine is running and occupied.
• Blocking or attempting to block the pathway of vehicles on the road or private land should the vehicle be occupied and the engine running
• Threatening, abusing or intimidating motorists where a wheel clamp has or is being applied.
• Inciting, encouraging, aiding or abetting any other person to undertake any of the above.

The catalogue of complaints against the Portsmouth clamper, who operates his business at various locations around the city, is lengthy - with many of the victims citing use of intimidation, threat, and abusive language. They include:

• Cars in a particular car park all clamped on the blind side with no warning signs on the windscreens – resulting in them being damaged when the unwitting owners returned and drove them away unaware that they had been clamped. 
• A taxi driver taking money to his son to pay a clamping charge was also clamped and blocked in when he drove into the same car park.
• A woman who went to pick up her son took a short cut across a private car park in order to reach a side road. Her exit from the car park was blocked by the clampers demanding money even though her engine was running and her handbrake was not on.
• Clampers attempted to clamp two drivers who had executed three point turns in the road - even though only their rear wheels came in contact with the private car park.
• A woman with her children turned her car in the forecourt of a garage with no intention of stopping. A tow truck pulled in front of her and her car was clamped.

[Senake]

Rather than waste taxpayers money putting him in prison, perhaps he should be "clamped" to a convenient lamp post!

[Don]

So why the did this shit have a licence to do what he did. Surely the stupid ers at the council gave permission in the first place!

wits the lot of them.

[stackmonkey]

Considering the various (multiple) acts of intimidation etc., I'm surprised he's not in prison.

[xxplod]

Sadly, I do not belive there is any legal requirement to be registered anywhere to clamp on private land.

[peteff]

You just need to own the land or have the owners permission to clamp on it, allegedly.

[ATG]

Everything I have ever said about capitol punishment, I take it all back. I'd G-cramp his nuts.

p.s. why is it a G-"cramp" and not a G-"clamp"?