This whole system is broken
Its broken beyond repair
I will post this example anonymously to save the embarrassment of the person concerned, but I am happy to stand behind every word. Someone I know well had two convictions in 2011. He pleaded guilty to both at the earliest time and ended up having to pay court fees and fines. In both cases the Magistrate or Judge gave him 14 days to pay.
The courts themselves issue no paperwork. So having been found guilty and given his sentence NOTHING handed to the now guilty person regarding exactly what the sentence means, how much he has to pay and when. All he knows is that its something like £200 fine, £170 pound costs (*plus everything else). He is in a dock, in a high stress environment, and cannot take any notes. He is just expected to remember all of this.
So, you ask the CPS bod, who says its not their problem. Court usher doesn't want to know but does say you will get something in the post. But is is stressed that it is YOUR responsibility to pay otherwise you are in contempt of court.
So you wait for a letter. It doesn't arrive. a day before the dead line expires you call the court and are told to call the central justice system number. They can't do a thing because they need the unique number that is on the top of the letter you haven't yet received.At this point panic starts. They tell you to wait for the letter.
Two days later you get a letter to say that you have not paid by the allotted time, you are in breech of your sentence, and that a warrant your your arrest will be issued automatically. Now your really bricking it.
Two days latter, the letter with the court fine arrives. Its wrong, but what the heck, at least you have a number. You examine this letter carefully and see that although it is dated on the day of your case, the postal frank says it was posted yesterday, ie after the deadline for payment expired. Nevertheless, you call the central number, get out your card and pay your dues to society. You explain that the fine was larger than they have in the system, but the system will not accept the correct amount, only the amount on the letter.
Some weeks later, you get another letter saying that due to an error in the system, you get another threatening letter to say you underpaid your fine and that your due before a magistrate again.
(At this point, you loose the will to live and wish they had just hanged you instead, just for motoring offence).
Honest, I am not making this up. It didn't just happen once, it happened twice. Yes, he was a naughty boy, he has learnt his lesson, but that's not the moral of the story.
This whole system is BROKEN.