Woman who racked up £8,000 fines in six years of petty crime will pay back just £700

Michelle Ecclestone, 38, totted up thousands of pounds in fines and costs between May of 2016 and May of 2022, for 17 crimes including six charges of not paying her TV licence fee and three of driving without valid insurance.

As of a hearing at Telford Magistrates court this week she owed £6,236 in fines, £1,226.71 in prosecution costs and £421 in victim surcharges, totalling £7,883.71.

But she was ordered by the court on Monday to pay back just £707.71 with the remainder written off, after her advocate told the magistrates that asking her to pay back the full amount while only receiving benefits would be "simply unsustainable".

The 17 offences Ecclestone was given fines for include six of failing to pay for a TV licence, one of driving while unfit through drink or drugs, three of driving with no insurance, four of failing to give the identity of a driver when requested, one of failing to provide a breath sample, one of driving while disqualified and one of possession of cocaine.

She also did not turn up to probation appointments she was ordered to attend after being caught by police with cocaine and an offensive weapon, namely an extendable baton, in Telford on a night in September of 2021.

Ecclestone, of Warrensway in Woodside, was summoned to court on Monday to be sentenced for non-payment of the fines and for breaching the community order she was given for the 2021 incident.

She had been given the community order on April 26 of 2022 to carry out 20 rehabilitation activity days, but just 17 days later she failed to attend an appointment.

Miss Debra Williams from the probation service told the court Monday that Ecclestone did then speak with her offender manager and it was suggested that home visits could be arranged, the defendant saying that her anxiety sometimes prevented her leaving her home.

She then missed a further appointment and a home visit was arranged, but when the offender manager attended for that appointment, Ecclestone was not present.

Representing Ecclestone in court, Jonathan Mason said: "Miss Ecclestone does suffer with her mental health, in particular her anxiety.

"She goes through peaks and troughs a lot. She accepts that she has failed to engage with the probation service as much as she should have done."

Chair of the magistrates bench Christine Holmes asked if there was any medical evidence of Ecclestone's mental health difficulties.

"She doesn't really have any evidence as such," said Mr Mason. "She is not seeing a psychiatrist, she was taking medication [but no longer is].

"She is in a relatively good place at the moment. She is ready, willing and able to cooperate with the probation service."

With regards to repaying the outstanding fines he said: "Eight thousand pounds for a woman on benefits, with the best will in the world, is simply unsustainable."

After deliberating, the magistrates decided to remit more than £7,000 of the outstanding fines and costs, meaning Ecclestone will not have to pay them.

She will still have to pay the £421 victim surcharge and £286.71 in prosecution costs, totalling £707.71. The magistrates made an order that the money will come out of Ecclestone's benefits.

For breaching the community order she was given in 2022 for possessing cocaine and a weapon, she was re-sentenced with a six-week sentence, suspended for one year.