The chief constable appealed against an order finding him in contempt of court. A car had been impounded, being a cloned vehicle. The police had taken the issue to court for a decision as to its ownership. When the parties had agreed on ownership, the police had instead of returning the car to the owner assisted the garage owner to retain it to collect his storage fees.
Held: The police argued that the car had been held by them as agents for the true owner, and that storage charges were payable by that owner, and not by themselves as principals. There was clearly an argument as to the responsibility for payment of the fees, and the police had not acted in contempt. It was not open to the court in this hearing to decide the more fundamental issue between the parties.
Citations:
[2006] EWHC 1017 (Admin)
Links:
Statutes:
Police, Contempt of Court
Updated: 06 July 2022; Ref: scu.242194