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04/03/2009
MLA Slams 'Penny Fine" Electoral Fraud Case
A Sinn Féin MLA has expressed his outrage at the arrest and trial of a constituent over alleged 'electoral fraud'.
South Antrim MLA Mitchel McLaughlin (pictured) was commenting on a case that was described by a district judge at Antrim Magistrates Court this week as "appalling".
The SF representative said he was calling on the Head of the Electoral Office Douglas Bain to reassess his approach to voter registration.
"The idea that a 68-year-old is arrested, charged with electoral fraud and then hounded through the courts by Douglas Bain highlights a need for the Chief Electoral Officer to seriously reappraise his approach to registration," he said.
This man was initially arrested because of a failure to provide a National Insurance Number.
On Tuesday, the Antrim man was fined a single penny in a landmark court case.
Ian Withers, 68, Steeple Road, became the first man in the UK to be fined for not giving personal information for the NI Electoral Register.
He refused to give his National Insurance number and ended up being arrested for electoral fraud.
His defence lawyer told the court that a "Big Brother" state was seeking to criminalise his client for not giving information for an electoral register that he did not even have to be on.
The Antrim man, Ian Withers, was fined only 1p after a district judge at Antrim Magistrates Court described the case as "appalling".
However, Douglas Bain - who was called as a witness - said that a person would commit an offence if they failed to provide information when requested.
"He doesn't have to be on this register, but once he applies to be, he legally has to provide information when requested," Mr Bain explained.
The Public Prosecutor told the judge that the arrest for suspected electoral fraud was "a mistake".
(BMcC/JM)
South Antrim MLA Mitchel McLaughlin (pictured) was commenting on a case that was described by a district judge at Antrim Magistrates Court this week as "appalling".
The SF representative said he was calling on the Head of the Electoral Office Douglas Bain to reassess his approach to voter registration.
"The idea that a 68-year-old is arrested, charged with electoral fraud and then hounded through the courts by Douglas Bain highlights a need for the Chief Electoral Officer to seriously reappraise his approach to registration," he said.
This man was initially arrested because of a failure to provide a National Insurance Number.
On Tuesday, the Antrim man was fined a single penny in a landmark court case.
Ian Withers, 68, Steeple Road, became the first man in the UK to be fined for not giving personal information for the NI Electoral Register.
He refused to give his National Insurance number and ended up being arrested for electoral fraud.
His defence lawyer told the court that a "Big Brother" state was seeking to criminalise his client for not giving information for an electoral register that he did not even have to be on.
The Antrim man, Ian Withers, was fined only 1p after a district judge at Antrim Magistrates Court described the case as "appalling".
However, Douglas Bain - who was called as a witness - said that a person would commit an offence if they failed to provide information when requested.
"He doesn't have to be on this register, but once he applies to be, he legally has to provide information when requested," Mr Bain explained.
The Public Prosecutor told the judge that the arrest for suspected electoral fraud was "a mistake".
(BMcC/JM)
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