Hi All,
I received a parking infringement about a week ago. I was indeed at fault, thinking I'd be safe in a half hour window. Anyway, I wasn't, and found the ticket when I got back. However, I the the inspector has entered the wrong car style (Sedan instead of Hatchback) and the wrong number plate (*****L instead of *****R), so my question is there still a legal obligation to pay the fine, when it isn't legally registered to my vehicle/number plate?
Thanks.
You could try your luck with not paying and hope they don't send a follow up?
Having said that, parking officers in Sydney often take photos of the cars they put infringement notices on. Not sure if they do this in QLD. If they did, it'd be pretty easy for them to amend and reissue the fine once the person with plate *****L receives a reminder and makes a complaint.
A mate got a similar infringement notice years ago while driving my car. Plate and make/model were wrong. I left it in his hands given he incurred it. Pretty sure he never did pay and I certainly got no followup. Still, this was 5-10 years ago and before photos were so commonplace, YMMV.
at this point i don't think they've issued you with a valid infringement notice due to a technicality.
Apparently any slip up on the ticket voids it. Although I don't see how they confused and L with an R..
Apparently
Source? I'd hate for OP to take your advice only for it to turn out wrong.
Experience, my friend went interstate and got a parking ticket, they recorded the state of his place as Vic when they were SA plates. He didn't have to pay.
Unless you know for sure it was meant for you (only parking bay/space, rego only wrong by 1/2 digits, time recorded, etc.), there's always the chance someone slipped their own ticket in the hopes you pay there's! Frequent offenders do this to other people sadly
But based on ur L-R rego example, it might mean it was yours and they might've taken a pic, but it's the digits I reckon that are entered into the system on their handheld devices, to lookup the owners associated address to send the bill…
Usually they take photos to cover their butt in this specific scenario.
Ticket is void, no need to pay it.
I'd leave it until you're chased up. You have every right to say you never received a fine for your license plate. How are you to know that the rego plate in question wasn't parked there also?
If you don't pay they'll do a search on the number plate and send the infringement to the owner of the plate (assuming the plate combination exists).
It is then the plate owners obligation to prove it was not his/her fine.
By not paying you may be causing an innocent person to be fined.
Is it hand written? Perhaps you are confusing the letters?
I wonder if it was a ticket for another car, and that driver slapped it on your car in the hopes that you'd pay it without noticing the different details? lol
edit - nevermind. Just re-read the OP's post. I was imagining the rego details to be completely different to the OPs rather than just one letter off. naww, there goes my conspiracy theory :(
It's possible… I've seen the same model of car as mine with the same 3 letters at the start of the number plate with very similar numbers (i.e it was registered on the same day).
Seriously though OP don't pay it the only issue is that the poor person who is actually registered to that numberplate will get a reminder notice and they will have to prove they weren't there at the time…
Why not ring/visit the council who issued the fine and ask about this situation? but dont mention anything about your actual car/rego details.
I work for the City of Sydney and in the past an error like that would make such a ticket void immediately. Not sure if a photograph changes things but I'd say it's still void as I think everything has to match to be valid i.e back and front plates + plate shown in picture + colour of car etc
Just ignore it - legally you don't have to pay it as it's not your car listed as the 'perpetrator''. I've had exactly the same thing happen and ignored the fine - I was never contacted so obviously they don't take photos.
I have a friend who pointed this out to me this morning. He tells me the courts are strangled by the guilty refusing to take responsibility and often relying on technicalities to escape their deserved justice… and although none would consider themselves dishonest, they can see others that are. (Aren't we a complicated species!)
Seems "do the crime - do the time" (pay the fine!) would be fitting here.
Regardless of if they have a photo, there is no way to tell where it was taken. The ticket itself is void if it contains incorrect information and would not hold up in any court.
you dont say if its a private carpark or public
in some cases i beleive private carparks have the same rights as public (eg. westfields parramatta)
therefore you can pay depending on how not paying will affect you
I can't see how they would track you down having the wrong details. If it was me, I wouldn't pay. And then I'd go buy a lotto ticket and use the rest of that good luck…