A PILOT who had been cited to appear in court over an unpaid fine but failed to turn up was arrested by police when he was passing through Birmingham Airport.
The man, from Dunbartonshire, owed money for a road traffic offence and was arrested after a warrant was issued by Dumbarton Justice of the Peace Court.
He was released by police at the airport after paying the £150 fine in full.
People with outstanding fines run the risk of embarrassment and disruption to their travel plans by being arrested at airports.
A shoplifter who owed £200 was held in January at Glasgow Airport on a warrant issued by Aberdeen Sheriff and JP Court.
The woman settled in full before she was allowed to proceed. And a man who had a £230 unpaid fine for a road traffic offence paid up in full after being arrested at Aberdeen Airport returning from a trip to Istanbul.
Arresting non-payers as they travel through ports or airports is one of a number of measures available to the Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service (SCTS) for recovering unpaid fines.
Other measures include freezing bank accounts taking money directly from earnings or benefits and clamping cars.
A new report released by SCTS today reveals that the fines collection rate remains consistently strong.
It shows that 86% of the value of Sheriff Court fines imposed during the three-year period between 1 April 2012 and 31 March 2015 has either been fully paid or is on track to be paid through instalments.
In the period 1 April 2015 to 30 September 2015 79% of the value of Sheriff Court fines has been, or is on track to be paid.
SCTS Acting Chief Operations Officer David Fraser said: “The fines enforcement team is highly effective in securing unpaid fines – ignoring your fine and not speaking to an enforcement officer if you are having difficulty paying is very unwise.
Failure to pay, or to engage with our officers, will result in strong sanctions being taken including arrestment of wages, bank accounts, your car being clamped or inconvenience and embarrassment by being arrested when travelling abroad.”
All defaulters are issued warnings before action is taken. Those in genuine financial difficulty can engage with enforcement officers to discuss payment terms.
Court-imposed fines as well as most penalties issued by the Crown and Procurator Fiscal Service can be paid by phoning 0300 790 0003. Police-issued penalties or those requiring endorsement of a driving record cannot be paid using the new system.
Most fines can also be paid on our secure website at www.scotcourts.gov.uk/payyourfine only fines which involve the endorsement of a driving record cannot be paid electronically at the moment.
For those penalties that cannot be paid using the online or telephone payment systems, customers can post payments to Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service, Central Processing Unit, PO Box 23, Glasgow, G59 9DA or take it in person to any Scottish court fines office