EDITOR'S CHOICE NEWS Man arrested for Asbo breach Church car park to close SPORT Q&A with Richard Hill Priskin to get the nod CINEMA Dr Seuss’s Horton Hears A Who! (U) *** FEATURES Hertfordshire Inclusive Theatre joins Chickenshed's SeaChange project Kings Langley Players tackle The Crucible Tom Parsons launches The Guitar Project at Clarendon Muse VOTE Did you turn out to vote in the local elections? Yes, it is important to make your voice heard. No, there wasn't a candidate I wanted to support. GET OUR NEWS BY E-MAIL Just register

Most read Comments 1 Priskin to get the nod 2 Robinson to miss play-offs 3 Gig in aid of Pete's fund 4 Stewart released by Horns 5 Drink driver escapes course 6 Church car park to close 7 Car fire on M25 8 Man arrested for Asbo breach 9 'Appalling' assault on woman aged 87 10 Anyone for golf? Today | 7 Days 1 Aidy relieved to secure play-off spot 2 Pupils grill politicians 3 Stewart released by Horns 4 Hornets set up Hull showdown 5 Smith lands top award 6 'We need to show courage' 7 Burkinshaw offers style advice 8 Robinson to miss play-offs 9 Priskin to get the nod 10 'Gateway to the east'

Comment | Read Comments (2)

Kym Walker has received speeding fines after she was carjacked

When two men carjacked and assaulted mum-of-two Kym Walker in Chorleywood more than a year ago she hoped to quickly forget her terrifying ordeal.

However, the 49-year-old cancer survivor has since been plagued by a series of speeding fines - issued more than a year after her car was stolen.

Mrs Walker, a novelist who lives in Heronsgate, was attacked in November 2006 as she stopped in her Honda Civic to buy a celebratory bottle of wine after receiving the all clear from doctors.

In a traumatic night-time assault, two men, only one of whom was ever charged for the attack, kneed her in the back before making off in the high performance vehicle.

But despite reporting the theft immediately and later receiving confirmation from the DVLA that she no longer owned the car, the Metropolitan Police pursued her for months for a total of five motoring offences committed later in the greater London area.

However, more than 100 letters and an official protest to the Police Complaints Commission later, the force had done nothing to rectify the situation - a response that has left Mrs Walker shocked.

She said: "I'm disgusted with the way they have treated me. When the first few notices came I thought I could just explain what had happened and they would forget about it. But that wasn't possible. There was no way I could contact them.

"There was no phone number to call and they weren't replying to my letters. Eventually my husband and I resorted to geurrilla tactics and sent more than 100 letters to them. But they still didn't come back to us."

It was only after the Walkers contacted a national newspaper that the force agreed to cancel the five outstanding tickets and apologise for the distress caused.

Mrs Walker, who writes under the pen name Kym Lloyd, says the case highlights fundamental flaws in the way automated fines are issued. She fears that thousands of motorists will continue to encounter similar problems if they are not addressed.

She added: "I'm normally a very forceful person who doesn't let things like this get to me, but this really has taken its toll. If it hadn't been for my husband's determination, I don't think anything would have changed.

"There must be other people in a similar situation. It shouldn't take the press to sort this type of thing out."

The Metropolitan Police has since apologised to the Walkers and has assured them the car has been registered as lost or stolen on the police national computer. Any future penalty notices, they say, will be stopped.

12:42pm Friday 28th March 2008

Print

Email this

Comment