3. PCN received but driver is adamant he was never there
« previous next »
Pages: [1] 2

Author Topic: PCN received but driver is adamant he was never there  (Read 2994 times)

0 Members and 408 Guests are viewing this topic.

PCN received but driver is adamant he was never there
« on: »
Hi, I wonder if you could advise what my friend should do in this situation.

Few days ago he received a PCN from Enfield Council stating that he has failed to comply with prohibition of motor vehicles. Evidence shows the vehicle passing through a restricted area.

However my friend is adamant that he has never been in that area. He is adamant that on that day (evening) he was making last preparations for holidays next day and there is no way he was in the area.

What steps he should take now?

I have uploaded PCN on imgur - https://imgur.com/a/3Bjnn1o

We would really appreciate your thoughts as he is at complete loss what to do. Contact DVLA? Police? I am clueless too
Logged

Share on Bluesky Share on Facebook

Re: PCN received but driver is adamant he was never there
« Reply #1 on: »
What are the PCN number and VRM as we can't look at the evidence without these.

Is the vehicle leased as the PCN is out of time at 15 Sept, contravention date 14 August.
Logged
Re: PCN received but driver is adamant he was never there
« Reply #2 on: »

+1

PCN from Enfield Council stating that he has failed to comply with prohibition of motor vehicles.

Not 'he' but the vehicle.

So an obvious issue could be, as per stamfordman, that the vehicle belongs to another party, perhaps leased/hired. This is supported by the lateness of service.

So is the PCN actually addressed to your friend and are they the keeper of the vehicle?
Logged
Re: PCN received but driver is adamant he was never there
« Reply #3 on: »
Thank you. So the car is Hire Purchased and the friend is registered keeper (the pcn arrived on registered keeper name too).

Vehicle registration is BL17NBJ and PCN number is EF99196898
Logged
Re: PCN received but driver is adamant he was never there
« Reply #4 on: »
Must be out of time then.

Here's the evidence.







Logged
Re: PCN received but driver is adamant he was never there
« Reply #5 on: »
A new logbook was issued only a few days ago on 15 Sept.

This vehicle is a black Ford first registered in June 2017 so unlikely it is on hire purchase surely.

Logged
Re: PCN received but driver is adamant he was never there
« Reply #6 on: »
The purchase was on 8th August and finance organised via Oddle. The financial statement's first page refers to it as Hire Purchase. They will massively overpay for the car and something they really regret now for going ahead as the purchase was sudden (they suddenly decided to go to Europe family trip with a car).

https://imgur.com/a/KJEXSlN

Logged
Re: PCN received but driver is adamant he was never there
« Reply #7 on: »
So, this would explain part of the issue, but not all:

8 August: car was registered to A N Other;
8 August: car purchased from A N Other by your friend;
Contravention date: 14 August;
V5C not amended until: 15 September;
First PCN sent to A N Other who makes successful reps that they were not the keeper by virtue of having sold the vehicle before the contravention;
Fresh PCN issued to your friend, almost certainly in time.

Your friend was the owner prior to 14th, but they're adamant 'that on that day (evening) he was making last preparations for holidays next day and there is no way he was in the area.'

So, who did have access to the car, was it even in your friend's possession on 14th or perhaps lent to someone else/in a garage?

IMO, simply saying it wasn't him won't succeed because he admits to being having bought the vehicle and therefore presumed to be the keeper on 14th.

By the way, IMO paying £15000 for a car valued at £8600 is usurious, but there we are.
« Last Edit: September 26, 2025, 09:37:11 am by H C Andersen »
Logged
Re: PCN received but driver is adamant he was never there
« Reply #8 on: »
Doesn't appear to be a plate misread so either:

1. The car was there
2. It's a clone

For 1, as HCA says, friend needs to think carefully about what he was doing and who else might have had use of the car. Google timeline if he has an Android phone?

For 2, vid is low res, but the enhancement of the plate is clear. Compare it to plate on the car - any differences?
Logged
Re: PCN received but driver is adamant he was never there
« Reply #9 on: »
who ever it was driving wasn't hanging about were they !
Logged
Quote from: andy_foster
Mick, you are a very, very bad man
Like Like x 1 View List
Re: PCN received but driver is adamant he was never there
« Reply #10 on: »
The recipient of the postal PCN need not be the driver "on the day". So the keeper as per the V5C can say he wasn't the driver, but it seems the car was, (or a car with his registration). So once it has been determined that the keeper getting ready for his holidays had the car within his sight and the keys to drive it were in his possession, then it could be a cloning of the numberplate. If this is the car, the cloning is a criminal offence and a crime has been committed, so the owner needs to contact the police. But do this only when all other avenues have been investigated and turned up nothing.

Of course, your friend may be under the impression that as he wasn't the driver they can do nothing, but this is not so. The legislation and regulations that go back to 1991, place responsibility for decriminalised motoring offences onto the owner of the vehicle, and this is assumed the keeper on the V5.
Logged
Re: PCN received but driver is adamant he was never there
« Reply #11 on: »
I took a picture of the car number plate. It looks similar writing but the screws are in different position than the ones in the picture? Or is it just me imagining things?

https://ibb.co/Q36wZ9PL

imgur does not work in UK  since 30th September :(
Logged
Re: PCN received but driver is adamant he was never there
« Reply #12 on: »
The one from the PCN clearly has screws at the end of the plate whereas your pic doesn't - looks like a clone. Need to report it (although someone else here had trouble getting a crime number out of them). Expect more PCNs....
Logged
Re: PCN received but driver is adamant he was never there
« Reply #13 on: »
Quote from: RichardW on October 01, 2025, 09:24:28 pm
The one from the PCN clearly has screws at the end of the plate whereas your pic doesn't - looks like a clone. Need to report it (although someone else here had trouble getting a crime number out of them). Expect more PCNs....
+1
Definitely a clone, as the council photo of the numberplate clearly shows the two mounting screws at the end of the numberplate whereas your friend's car has the mounting screws much further in.
Logged
Re: PCN received but driver is adamant he was never there
« Reply #14 on: »
Quote from: RichardW on October 01, 2025, 09:24:28 pm
The one from the PCN clearly has screws at the end of the plate whereas your pic doesn't - looks like a clone. Need to report it (although someone else here had trouble getting a crime number out of them). Expect more PCNs....
You need to report the cloning to the Police and get a crime reference number. If the Police give you the run-around then try https://www.actionfraud.police.uk/ . That's what a another recent poster had to do.

You also need to inform the DVLA, try phoning 0300-790 6802 as I'm not sure you can report online, who will put a marker on the VRM. The DVLA will want the crime reference number. Then prepare to be stopped by the Police yourself as their ANPR will flag up your car as a possible clone.

The fraudsters will likely look for another VRM to clone after a couple of weeks, to avoid being stopped by the Police.

The differing screw positions suggest that the clone is not the exact same model as yours. Take some close-up reference photos of your car. All sides of the car.
« Last Edit: October 02, 2025, 06:05:37 am by Enceladus »
Logged
Pages: [1] 2
« previous next »
  3. PCN received but driver is adamant he was never there