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Over the last year 75 people were caught watching television without a licence in Guernsey, with a number of them still not paying up and now facing court instead.
While court proceedings are described as 'a last resort' for those who exhaust all other options, a handful of cases are dealt with by the Magistrates each year.
This applies to any provider and any device, including a TV, desktop computer, laptop, mobile phone, tablet, games console, digital box or DVD/VHS recorder. A licence costs £150 a year and can be paid quarterly, monthly or yearly, but anyone who fails to pay and is detected could be subject to prosecution.
Pictured: There are a number of different ways to pay a TV Licence.
Emily Tostevin, 28, pleaded guilty in Guernsey's Magistrate Court last week, to using a television receiver without a licence at her address in St Martins following an enforcement visit on 11 October 2017.
The court heard how Tostevin had struggled to make payments as she was on sickness benefit and had cancelled her standing order for the licence to save money. In sentencing, Judge Cherry McMillen ordered Tostevin to pay a £250 fine, or serve 12 days in custody, giving her until 28 January 2019 to pay.
A TV Licensing spokesperson confirmed that 75 people were caught evading the television licence in Guernsey, between 1 September 2017 and 30 September 2018.
They said: “Prosecution is a last resort once all other options have been exhausted. TV Licensing will withdraw cases against first time offenders if the required minimum payment is made within eight weeks of the visit, as detailed on the TV Licensing website, and there are a wide variety of ways to pay for a licence.
"This can lead to prosecution, a court appearance and a fine of up to £2,000 in Guernsey (not including legal costs) Once TV Licensing has visited an unlicensed address in Guernsey and taken the relevant details, the matter is handed over to the Guernsey Police for investigation. The decision to prosecute is taken by the Guernsey Police."
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