Stolen van lands Bristol owner in court for illegal parking

A Bristol man has slammed the justice system after he was taken to court accused of illegally parking his van – despite it being reported stolen.

James Taylor, 29, was ordered to appear in court and threatened with prison for blocking a residential drive in Two Mile Hill, Kingswood on December 6.

Mr Taylor reported his Ford Transit as being stolen and then police contacted him after finding it.

He received no further contact from police until he was issued with a court summons at the start of June – more than six months after the offence – ordering him to pay fines or possibly face prison.

Mr Taylor, an account manager for BT, was charged on Tuesday at North Avon Magistrates Court with causing unnecessary obstruction by a motor vehicle, and asked to pay £45.

He was also charged with failure to display his vehicle licence and given a £90 fine – even though his van was stolen before he could put in the new tax disc.

He refused to pay the £135, and had the charges overturned in court and the fines quashed.

But he is furious at being treated as a criminal for a crime he claims he didn't commit.

And he still had to pay £350 for his van to be towed away and fixed.

Mr Taylor, who lives in Two Mile Hill, says he has lost all faith in the authorities.

He said: "I can't put it into words. It is enough to ruin lives.

"I reported my van stolen and the next thing I knew was that I needed to pay £135 or I could be arrested and possibly sent to prison.

"A simple case of a van being stolen shouldn't lead to me being hauled before the courts.

"I have been made a criminal myself here. It is my van that was stolen, but I had to appear in court.

"I heard nothing from the police about who stole my van and here I am in court for something I haven't done.

"Yet the person who stole it is probably walking around scot-free, doing it again and again."

Mr Taylor had parked his van in the garden driveway of his then-girlfriend's house in Portland Street, Staple Hill when it was stolen in the early hours of December 5.

He reported it to police the same day, and phoned vehicle recovery agencies in Bristol to see if the van had been towed away.

Police found it the following day blocking a residential driveway opposite an Esso garage on Two Mile Hill.

But it was only when Mr Taylor called on December 8 that he was told it had been picked up by Victoria Recovery and was in Yate.

He then had to pay a £150 towing charge, £40 for two days' storage, £60 for it to be towed to a mechanics in Keynsham and £100 for it to be fixed after the engine ran down.

"I am absolutely gobsmacked that you can report an incident to the police, you have a crime reference number and then they can't even be bothered to tie it up with their own court summons," said Mr Taylor.

"How can I cause an unnecessary obstruction if my van has been stolen?

"I have completely lost faith in how the courts and police communicate with each other."

Catherine Foster of Avon and Somerset police said officers endeavour to contact owners of stolen vehicles as soon as they are found.

She said: "It is quite common for stolen vehicles to be damaged, in which case recovery needs to be arranged.

"In nearly all cases the cost of recovery and storage after a theft can be claimed back through the driver's insurance.

"If Mr Taylor is not happy we would advise him to make a formal complaint."

The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) is responsible for most charging decisions, except for cases such as minor motoring offences.

The CPS said it would not have been aware of the case until it had reached the magistrates court.