hi
Many thanks for your helful response. This now proves to me why most of the posters on here never finish these so-called stages of process. I saw these on the folwong sites:
http://www.bankruptcy-insolvency.co.uk/ ... _debts.phpWhen you can be sent to prison for your debts
Being sent to prison is a great fear for many people with serious debts. In most cases, it's very unlikely. A prison sentence is a last resort, and apart from fraud (see 'Fraud' below) it can happen only for specific types of debt.
These include if you haven't paid:
■fines from the magistrates' court;
■your Council Tax or business rates: or
■maintenance for your husband, wife or children.
You can be sent to prison only if the magistrates believe that you 'won't pay' rather than 'can't pay' your debts (that is, you have deliberately refused to pay, or you have chosen to spend the money on other things you didn't truly need).
If this is the case, the court will probably make a 'suspended committal order'. This means that the magistrates will set an amount for you to pay each week or month. You will be sent to prison only if you miss any of these payments. If that happens, you will be sent a warrant to be arrested and brought before the magistrates. You cannot be sent to prison without another hearing, although you may be put in police cells overnight.
http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/MoneyTaxAnd ... G_10013198Court hearingIf your council has tried using bailiffs but your Council Tax still isn’t paid in full, they may apply to the Magistate’s Court for a warrant committing you to prison. The council will only take this step when other efforts have failed.
Before issuing a warrant of commitment the court must hold a means enquiry with you present. A warrant will only be issued if the court is satisfied that the failure to pay is the result of wilful refusal or culpable neglect. The maximum period of imprisonment is three months.
The court may decide to postpone the period of imprisonment on certain conditions, normally relating to payment of the debt over a period of time. The court also has the power to remit all or part of the debt.
Thanks for your helpful information, it's good to see solid evidence being posted on here
TheAntagonist
have you had first hand experience of this? I was under the impression from what has been discussed on this site that it would get passed over to collectors, not the police for recovery action - although I guess they are a form of revenue collector. I thought they used the police for things like breakage of bail conditions and failure to turn up for a trial in crown court or maybe I may be wrong, or if folk commit a real crime and get arrested? Have the cops come knocking at your door for this?