It means that more than likely you have been flashed by a speed camera or gone through a red light or committed another minor traffic offence.
The exact offence will be stated on the summons, along with the date of the court appearance - you must attend court on this date. If you can't attend, you must contact the court as soon as possible. You may be able to plead guilty by post to the alleged offence, the summons will explain your options.
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Although it was not you that has been stopped by the police, you must still go to court. This is to make a statutory declaration (a sworn statement) to that effect. The court will then adjourn the matter back to the police who will need to make further enquiries.
It is important that you attend court otherwise a warrant will be issued. If you cannot make it on the day in question, contact the court to advise them.
If you have missed a court date then a warrant will be issued for your arrest. It is advisable to go to your local police station or Magistrates Court as soon as possible to hand yourself in.
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The purpose of a notice of intended prosecution (NIP) is to inform a potential defendant that they may be prosecuted for an offence they have committed, whilst the incident is still fresh in their memory.
When you receive a NIP it doesn't automatically mean that you are going to face prosecution, it is a warning that you may face prosecution.
The NIP must be served on the driver or registered keeper within 14 days of the offence otherwise the offence cannot proceed at court. If the details of the driver are not known, then it is sent to the registered keeper. In either case, so long as it arrives at the relevant address within the time limit the notice is valid.
If the registered keeper has changed address/not informed DVLA etc., as long as the NIP arrived at the address on record for the registered keeper within 14 days, it is still valid. The registered keeper then has an obligation to identify the driver.
The driver may then receive further paperwork in due course, but that is not to be confused with the document that is legally required to be sent within 14 days.
NIPs can also be issued verbally to the driver at the time of the offence or alternatively, you could receive a court summons through the post for the alleged offence within 14 days.
Small mistakes on the notice do not render it ineffective unless it would mislead the potential defendant.
A Notice shall be deemed to have been served on a person if it was posted to them at their last known address, notwithstanding that the notice was returned as undelivered or was for any other reason not received by them. A posted NIP is deemed to be served until the contrary is shown.
You need to contact the Camera Unit of the Central Ticket Office (sometimes called Central Process Bureau or similar) of the force concerned to ask for a copy and in most circumstances you will be issued with a copy document.
If it was a conditional offer and you have failed to pay or contact the Camera Unit, you may be issued with a summons to attend court.
If it was a summons you must contact the court in question as a failure to appear at court could lead to a warrant for your arrest being issued.
Do not delay. There are time limits on these processes and they can get more expensive (or even lead to your arrest) if you do nothing.
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Unfortunately it is up to you as the registered keeper to satisfy the issuer of the ticket that it was not you or your car at the time and place where the alleged offence occurred. Here are some suggestions on how to deal with it.
If this is a regular occurrence (and especially if the tickets are from your local area) contact your local police.
Number plate cloning and car cloning are becoming a growing problem (though it is still on a relatively small scale in the scheme of things), but the Government is looking at ways of reducing it.
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