Big Malc

I’d rather shoot the telly just before Eastenders comes on

If the decision isn’t overturned, why would you re-start with a drop ball, as per the 3rd option there? That seems to suggest if you give a pen, review it and it’s confirmed it was correct, you re-start with a drop ball. As I missing something?

They don’t sound that lucky to be fair, probs not the best choice for a mascot

Now you’re talking

I also have no comment to make re chutneys.

From what I understand, you seem to be suggesting that either the club, FF or his solicitor knew about this court date in advance, but just decided to ignore it for reasons that you can’t specify? Despite the fact the court have accepted that FF didn’t receive his summons, you think that someone either in the court or the police - as these are the only two entities proven to have known about the court date - told either FF, his agent or his solicitor in a way that you can’t specify, for reasons that you can’t specify, that he had a court date coming up and for reasons you can’t specify, one or all of those decided to not act on it and instead decided to act surprised when it actually turned out to be true? It looks like that is your train of thought, rather than accept the situation that happens hundreds of times a week in courts all round the country - that he just didn’t receive the summons?

Because only FF would be sent a letter with a court date on it. Before this, no-one is informed if he is going to be charged or not. He’s awaiting confirmation from the police as to whether he’s going to be charged. This letter, that he didn’t get, was that confirmation. There is literally no other way of him, his solicitor or his employer finding out about it.

He is informed at the end of his interview under caution that he may be reported on summons for any offences. He isn’t charged at the police station, where he would know what offences he was charged with and what time and date he should appear at court. Instead, when someone is reported on summons the police send a letter through the post to the address they have on file for him. If that address is wrong, an old address etc then he won’t receive the only document in existence that alerts him to his court date. The letter goes to him, not his solicitor and not his employer. The court are also informed so they know to put a slot to one side for the hearing specified on the summons. FF would be the only person that alerts his solicitor or his employer to the existence of the court date. If he didn’t receive the summons, which the court appear to accept is the truth, then he couldn’t inform them so they couldn’t possibly have known. I think you’re trying to read a little too much into all this.

That I don’t doubt. The training is lamentable, the computer system also isn’t fit for purpose (I could bang on about it for hours but that’s for another day). But in this situation the summons came from the police, it’s neither the Court nor CPS’s responsibility to inform him about the date that he ultimately missed. This one is on the coppers. The court haven’t done anything wrong, and no-one’s been tipped off about anything. Magistrates courts have local journalists there all day - we have the Court Report in the Sheffield Star. It will have been a local journo covering the court that day that came across what appeared to be a bit of a scoop. What’s transpired since is not out of the ordinary - people don’t get summonses all the time.

The Star reported the facts as they were known at the time. He had a court date and he didn’t attend. The reasons why weren’t known. We now know that he wasn’t aware of it, but we don’t know the reason(s) why. It also isn’t the job of the court to inform FF of the court date - the time, date and place would be printed on the summons, which is issued by the police. It’s looking like he didn’t get the summons The court and the CPS are two separate and independent organisations. See above - they published the facts that were known and correct at the time.

Cheers. So it’s possible the summons went to one address and he’s only been at the other? Again, just speculation.

There is precedent... https://www.theguardian.com/football/2008/jul/01/knowledge

I don’t think it’s unusual for them to be sent Royal Mail 1st class as Reading pointed out earlier.

That’s why I said it was speculation - does he have an address up North?

These guys know. It’s more than possible FF has more than one address, if the summons went to one and he hasn’t been there since, he wouldn’t know. There have also been occasions where the address has been printed slightly incorrectly so not ended up at he defendant’s address. That is mere speculation though. There is, as mentioned by others, plenty of precedent of acts taking place in a football pitch ending up in prosecutions. And rightly so. CPS don’t issue or serve summonses, the police do that They are told at the at the end of the interview that they may be reported on summons. The summons is then posted to the address the police have on file. The police execute the warrant, they don’t prosecute it. It’s not unusual for the warrant to be executed within hours, the next day or the same week. It all depends on the workload of the police force and how easy the defendant is to find. Correct. I think, but I’m a few pints in so I may be incorrect, as he has been reported on summons and not charged at the police station then when he appears at court the warrant will be withdrawn and he will face no further action. He still needs to surrender though as it’s been issued.