A HAIRDRESSER was hit with a ￡670 fine and dragged to court during a two-year nightmare after he was falsely accused of dropping a cigarette at a train station.
Adrian Shann was even visited by bailiffs after council chiefs launched action against him.
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Adrian Shann faced a two-year ordeal after he was falsely accused of dropping a cigarette on a train platform Credit: MEN Media
The 31-year-old was accused of discarding a cigarette on the platform at Doncaster station in August 2019.
However, he says he actually dropped a packet of sugar, which blew out of his hands as he juggled two cups of hot tea, but immediately picked it back up.
Confronted by enforcement officers, he "naively" gave them his name and address - before receiving a notice of intended prosecution days later, Hull Live reports.
Adrian, who appeared on an episode of Channel Four's Benefits Britain, was out of work at the time and refused to pay the ￡100 fine.
But when he notified the council, he was told the prosecution would go ahead.
Weeks later, he was visited by bailiffs - and told the fine had escalated to a whopping ￡670, thanks to extra charges imposed by the debt collectors.
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"I was grieving for the loss of my best friend who had died, and I had this hanging over me," Adrian said.
"It totally ruined Christmas. I told them I couldn't pay. They technically tried to steal my stuff, for doing nothing wrong.
"I contacted the council and said I was appealing it so they set a date for a hearing."
On August 11 last year, Adrian drove to Sheffield for a planned court case.
But despite his 120-mile round trip, Doncaster Council failed to appear for the proceedings.
"I waited an hour and a half and they only had to turn up on a Teams call," Adrian said.
I feel really angry about it. It's been two years of stress and anxiety
Adrian Shann
And he later received a letter to say that the prosecution had been withdrawn, with no explanation.
"I feel really angry about it. It's been two years of stress and anxiety," he said.
"That Christmas was ruined, the bailiffs said they were coming back, so it was awful. I feel angry that I have been put through this.
"I would urge other people to challenge and stand their ground if they've done nothing wrong.
"The two men stood over me and made me really uncomfortable, and I don't know if they get paid a commission for handing out fines.
ORDEAL OVER ACCUSATION
"But this should never have got to court."
Scott Fawcus, Assistant Director Legal and Democratic Services for Doncaster Council, said: “This was an offence which was witnessed by a former employee of Doncaster Council’s external enforcement agency.
"As is usual for such cases, this case was originally being dealt with by the court’s single justice procedure.
“The council’s legal team was not informed that the case had been reopened by the courts and that a hearing had been scheduled for Sheffield and so were unable to attend.
“Despite this, our legal team attempted to deal with the case remotely on the day but were informed that the offender had left the court, with an adjournment being made to attend Doncaster Magistrates Court on an alternative date."
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Adrian actually dropped a sugar packet on the platform, and quickly picked it up again, but 'naively' gave his number to enforcement officers Credit: MEN Media