Firestick
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I don't often come on here nowadays but I'm after a bit of advice if possible.
My son moved into his own property in August informed his Visor and P.O. of the new address and was told a home visit would be made in the following weeks.
Fast forward to a fortnight ago and he was phoned to say that a visit was being made ( where he lives requires an entry code to access so unannounced visits aren't possible) anyway the visor and one other arrived and all was going well until she noticed his new tv which he had previously informed her about and had been told it was ok because it didn't connect to the internet- he mentioned that he had obtained a fire stick from a friend in order to watch sports channels and at that point the mood completely changed and he was told that he had breached his order by not informing her and subsequently was under arrest.
He was taken to the police station and held in a cell for 4 hours before being interviewed with a duty solicitor present- during the interview he was told by the visor that they could see that he had never used the fire stick to connect to the internet ( the VPN and password were set up by the person he obtained it from and he doesn't know what it is)however he was given a date to attend the magistrate's court in January to answer 3 charges .
He has been told that he is likely to receive a fine and/ or community payback but neither he or I trust the police.
We have consulted a solicitor who has said that they will push for 2 of the charges to be dropped and if possible for it to be settled out of court- yes he should have informed the visor about the fire stick at the same time as he told her about the tv but he mistakenly assumed that because the tv didn't have internet access then the stick didn't either so to my mind that's the only thing he is guilty of.
Also he was open and honest whereas if he'd been trying to hide it he could have done so before they arrived.
Whilst at the police station they didn't allow him to make a phone call to inform us which I think is a breach of human rights.
He is terrified of possible media coverage as it will destroy everything he has worked so hard to achieve in the past 3 years - moving to a new location, buying a property, holding down a job and making a new set of friends who know nothing about this and it will also impact me as I have had to do the same thing.
I am extremely concerned about his mental health as he has previously made attempts to take his own life.
Sorry for the long post but this has really shaken us both and I am back to being anxious and having panic attacks
My son moved into his own property in August informed his Visor and P.O. of the new address and was told a home visit would be made in the following weeks.
Fast forward to a fortnight ago and he was phoned to say that a visit was being made ( where he lives requires an entry code to access so unannounced visits aren't possible) anyway the visor and one other arrived and all was going well until she noticed his new tv which he had previously informed her about and had been told it was ok because it didn't connect to the internet- he mentioned that he had obtained a fire stick from a friend in order to watch sports channels and at that point the mood completely changed and he was told that he had breached his order by not informing her and subsequently was under arrest.
He was taken to the police station and held in a cell for 4 hours before being interviewed with a duty solicitor present- during the interview he was told by the visor that they could see that he had never used the fire stick to connect to the internet ( the VPN and password were set up by the person he obtained it from and he doesn't know what it is)however he was given a date to attend the magistrate's court in January to answer 3 charges .
He has been told that he is likely to receive a fine and/ or community payback but neither he or I trust the police.
We have consulted a solicitor who has said that they will push for 2 of the charges to be dropped and if possible for it to be settled out of court- yes he should have informed the visor about the fire stick at the same time as he told her about the tv but he mistakenly assumed that because the tv didn't have internet access then the stick didn't either so to my mind that's the only thing he is guilty of.
Also he was open and honest whereas if he'd been trying to hide it he could have done so before they arrived.
Whilst at the police station they didn't allow him to make a phone call to inform us which I think is a breach of human rights.
He is terrified of possible media coverage as it will destroy everything he has worked so hard to achieve in the past 3 years - moving to a new location, buying a property, holding down a job and making a new set of friends who know nothing about this and it will also impact me as I have had to do the same thing.
I am extremely concerned about his mental health as he has previously made attempts to take his own life.
Sorry for the long post but this has really shaken us both and I am back to being anxious and having panic attacks
I can imagine how stressful this must be for you, it sounds like it was a genuine oversight, it's scary how easy it seems it can be for that to happen. I'd like to think there's no 'public interest' for this court appearance to be in the media, after all there's no IIOC to create the headline and the click bait...
I really hope that the consequence is minimal for you all and doesn't disrupt the fresh start you've all had as it would be so unfair and counter productive as it sounds like your son has made great progress.
Good luck from me xx
I really hope that the consequence is minimal for you all and doesn't disrupt the fresh start you've all had as it would be so unfair and counter productive as it sounds like your son has made great progress.
Good luck from me xx
Update on this.
The solicitor received the information from the Visor last week and has said that there is absolutely no evidence to show that my son used or had access to the VPN on the fire stick and that he also has a very strong case to argue that this was an error rather than a deliberate attempt to hide the fact that he was in possession of it.
The solicitor has sent a request to the Visor team to have the charges dropped but if they refuse then he has advised my son to plead not guilty at the Magistrates court and request that the case goes to Crown because it will then be put to the CPS who will dismiss it because it doesn't meet the guidelines.
I honestly can't understand why the Visor is pursuing this ( other than they are a***holes)it just seems like a complete waste of court time and resources and they are going to look pretty foolish without evidence...
The solicitor received the information from the Visor last week and has said that there is absolutely no evidence to show that my son used or had access to the VPN on the fire stick and that he also has a very strong case to argue that this was an error rather than a deliberate attempt to hide the fact that he was in possession of it.
The solicitor has sent a request to the Visor team to have the charges dropped but if they refuse then he has advised my son to plead not guilty at the Magistrates court and request that the case goes to Crown because it will then be put to the CPS who will dismiss it because it doesn't meet the guidelines.
I honestly can't understand why the Visor is pursuing this ( other than they are a***holes)it just seems like a complete waste of court time and resources and they are going to look pretty foolish without evidence...