Marine
02-04-2003, 12:36am
LIKE any toddler, Jay Mack has trouble standing up on his own two feet, often stumbling around before tumbling to the floor.
So it was with some amusement that his mother, Mary, received a summons, alleging that the 16-month-old had been stopped by police for speeding.
Mrs Mack phoned the court which sent the papers to tell them of the mistake.
The problem, it transpired, was a motorist who had been stopped by officers in England, in July, and had given a false name.
Subsequent computer searches by officials at Essex Magistrates Court found that there was only one Jay Mack in Britain, her son living in Priesthill, Glasgow.
Mrs Mack, 34, was told not to worry, everything would be sorted.
However, weeks later, the mother-of-five opened a letter addressed to Jay saying he had been fined £40.
Subsequent demands for payment arrived until one said Jay must go to a fines hearing at Glasgow Sheriff Court to explain why he had not paid a sum now totalling £208.33.
Mrs Mack, whose mood had now changed slightly, said: "I phoned countless times, but they refused to listen."
Eventually, she decided that all she could do was take her son to court.
On Friday, she went to the hearing and, when the case was called, officials looked on as the infant toddled in, followed by his mother holding his reins. Mrs Mack said: "When we went to the dock, a clerk said that my child couldn’t go in there.
"I told him he was the defendant. The case was immediately struck off.
"All the solicitors were laughing, but the sheriff did not look very happy about what had happened."
Yesterday, a court spokesman said an investigation had been started.
Mrs Mack said: "This may seem like a complete joke, but it was a huge waste of taxpayers’ money, as well as my time."
http://www.news.scotsman.com/topics.cfm?id=1371552002&tid=609
So it was with some amusement that his mother, Mary, received a summons, alleging that the 16-month-old had been stopped by police for speeding.
Mrs Mack phoned the court which sent the papers to tell them of the mistake.
The problem, it transpired, was a motorist who had been stopped by officers in England, in July, and had given a false name.
Subsequent computer searches by officials at Essex Magistrates Court found that there was only one Jay Mack in Britain, her son living in Priesthill, Glasgow.
Mrs Mack, 34, was told not to worry, everything would be sorted.
However, weeks later, the mother-of-five opened a letter addressed to Jay saying he had been fined £40.
Subsequent demands for payment arrived until one said Jay must go to a fines hearing at Glasgow Sheriff Court to explain why he had not paid a sum now totalling £208.33.
Mrs Mack, whose mood had now changed slightly, said: "I phoned countless times, but they refused to listen."
Eventually, she decided that all she could do was take her son to court.
On Friday, she went to the hearing and, when the case was called, officials looked on as the infant toddled in, followed by his mother holding his reins. Mrs Mack said: "When we went to the dock, a clerk said that my child couldn’t go in there.
"I told him he was the defendant. The case was immediately struck off.
"All the solicitors were laughing, but the sheriff did not look very happy about what had happened."
Yesterday, a court spokesman said an investigation had been started.
Mrs Mack said: "This may seem like a complete joke, but it was a huge waste of taxpayers’ money, as well as my time."
http://www.news.scotsman.com/topics.cfm?id=1371552002&tid=609