He's dead?... That's no excuse for speeding
Jan 24 2007
by Mike Hornby, Liverpool Echo
Patricia Cross with the Merseyside police letter stating her father's death 'could not be considered' - Picture: COLIN LANE
THE family of a cancer victim say he is being hounded in death over an unpaid speeding ticket.
They received a letter accusing William Allen of speeding down Balliol Road in Bootle seven months after his family held his funeral.
But when his daughter queried the penalty, and sent his death certificate to the Speed Camera Enforcement Unit, she was told the authorities had enough evidence to pursue the matter and that “mitigating circumstances cannot be considered”.
Mr Allen’s daughter Patricia Cross received the notice of prosecution on December 22, which would have been his 78th birthday.
Today, speed camera officials said they regretted the tone of the letter and blamed their computer system.
Kirkby woman Mrs Cross, who is in remission from cancer, said: “It has brought back all the pain of Dad’s death.
“I just can’t believe they would be so uncaring. I think it is outrageous that they can send letters like this to people as if the fact that he had died was of no consequence whatsoever.
“If a death certificate isn’t enough proof, I don’t know what is.”
William Allen, who was accused of speeding seven months after he died
Mr Allen, an engineer, was diagnosed with asbestos-related lung cancer in January last year. He died the following May.
His family sold his Vauxhall Vectra shortly after his death, but the new owner is not registered with the DVLA.
Until that happens, any motoring offence will continue to be blamed on Mr Allen.
Dave Foulkes, project manager for Merseyside Road Safety Camera Partnership, said: “I regret the tone and content of the letter which was sent to Mrs Cross.
“These notices are issued by computer, and as Mr Allen is still registered as the owner of the vehicle I would urge his family to contact the DVLA urgently to have his name removed.
“Until then, they will continue to receive penalty notices intended for the current owner.”
Mrs Cross, a civil servant, said: “It can’t be blamed only on a computer.
“Surely a person had to open and read my letter and then have a reply sent out.
“I used to work for the Inland Revenue and we received thousands of letters each day. Whenever we were told the taxpayer had died we responded sensitively and quickly ended the matter.
“They have dealt with this without any humanity, sympathy or acknowledgement of our family’s loss.
“Dad had such a wicked sense of humour, he would be rolling about laughing.
“But I worry about what will happen next. My big fear is that there be a policeman at the door saying the car has run over a child.
mikehornby@liverpoolecho.co.uk
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I would have either included it in the selling price or surrendered for the partial refund,, They could be in bother over failure to notify and not renewing the VED or declaring a SORN..
an NOIP. His mother had apparently been zapped by a mobile scamera at 35 mph on a road which had been 40 mph for most of her life and recently downgraded to a 30 mph. 
in a scrapbook which he intends to pass down his family as an "on-going heirloom!" All these items record the person's existence and give an insight into what this person was like after all.
