Fair fines (From Barry And District News)

Fair fines

I AM pleased to respond on behalf of the Vale of Glamorgan Magistrates' Court to the letter by Mr Zahra (letters, November 7, 2002).

With regard to the two cases cited, I cannot comment on the individual facts except to say that the newspaper reports upon which Mr Zahra bases his criticism were very brief indeed.

The court deals with more than 2,500 motoring and 3,000 other criminal offences per year. While the bench has adopted national sentencing guidelines, each case must be decided on its individual facts.

When deciding the level of fines, magistrates are bound to consider the circumstances of the offence and of the offender.

It is an established principle of law that people of limited means should be fined less than those of high income, all other things being equal.

The aim is to achieve consistency in the impact of the fine on people with different abilities to pay.

The role of the magistrate is a far from easy one. The local community should be proud and grateful to the 76 volunteers who freely give their time, energies and skills in order to uphold Justice in their local court.

A R Seculer Clerk to the Justices Vale of Glamorgan Magistrates' Court