A man who neglected a mere $46 speeding ticket has now amassed a debt running into thousands of dollars.
Back in 2016, Peter Prescott was issued a speeding ticket, demanding a payment of $46 (in USD) for driving at 64km/h in a 50km/h zone. Prescott did not settle the fine, arguing that he wasn’t the driver and asserting that the vehicle wasn’t his.
When Prescott failed to pay, the issue was escalated to court. Prescott did not attend the court hearing, which resulted in an additional $46 fine and a requirement to pay $17.50 for court expenses.
Two years later, Prescott, residing in New Zealand, still hadn’t settled the fines against him. He attempted to appeal but was unsuccessful, prompting him to seek a judicial review of the decision.
The request for the judicial review was dismissed, as reported by The New Zealand Herald, and Prescott incurred a $4,061 fine in court costs.
His financial troubles didn’t end there. Prescott, still hoping to evade payment, sought to have the High Court reconsider the judgment. This effort was unsuccessful, prompting him to petition the Court of Appeal to defer the fine.
This attempt was also dismissed, leading to an additional $3,481 being added to his growing debts.
Then, a further $1,450 was added to his seemingly endless financial obligations after Prescott failed to take the matter to the Supreme Court.
In 2020, after failing to pay the $4,061 he owed, Prescott was served with a bankruptcy notice by police. Undeterred, Prescott pursued an appeal against this notice. However, this backfired and he was ordered to pay an additional $6,962.
By September 2021, Prescott owed $15,665 to the police and was officially declared bankrupt a year later.
Prescott continued his fight and recently attempted to have his bankruptcy annulled. He argued that the bankruptcy hearing was unfair, citing ‘a hearing deficiency that prevented him from fully participating in the hearing’.
Predictably, this did not succeed either, as a judge found no issues with the original 2022 bankruptcy hearing that would justify annulling the order.
Now, Prescott faces even more fines following his latest unsuccessful appeal.
The lesson here: it’s best to pay your speeding tickets promptly.