Hi, I need some advice regarding a Fixed Penalty Notice given to me by a PCSO.
I am a private hire driver and collect children from school as part of my job and have an assistant with me who collects the children. On this occassion, near the school is a left turning where I pulled into and did a uturn in it in one manouver and stopped at the edge of the junction slightly on the footpath. I was just about to let the passenger assistant out before reversing to a space where the vehicle could be parked when a PCSO came to me. I opened the window and he asked me to get out of the vehicle.
Thinking something serious had happened, I took my seat belt off, car still running and got out to find what was the matter. He then asked me whether I realised my vehicle was parked in a illegal manner to which I responded to him by saying that I hadn't parked it yet, I was in the process of parking it and was about to finish parking it by reversing it but was asked to get out of the vehicle by him. But he just wasn't having any of it and insisted on me admitting it was parked in a away causing an obstruction. At this point I must admit that I thought he was an actual police officier and was being subdued by his authority though he was very young about 20. Anyway, I agreed that at present how it was parked was an obstruction but maintained that I hadn't finished parking. Anyway, he said he was going to giving a penalty notice and I said I don't accept it. As he started writing it out, I asked to finish parking the car and he refused to let me move it.
At this point I got angry, realising he was a pcso who was young and just flexing his muscles and started questioning his authority and integrity as he was giving me a penalty for obstruction and had kept me parked like that for over 10mins while he wrote out the penalty. I told him to get a real job and all you guys are interested in is generating money and a menace to motorists etc etc.
Now, the dilemma for me is to either pay £30 and forget about it or take it to court as this was very unfair, it's like doing a 3 point turn and in the middle of it being asked to get out of the vehicle and given a penalty for causing an obstruction. On the other hand, I am afraid, that in court, the magistrates will take his word over mine and he may bring up the comments I made about his job etc.
Please advise as to what you people think is the best course of action to take.
Thanks in advance.