Fines for census defaulters
Fourteen people have been prosecuted for failing to fill in or mutilating their 2013 Census forms.
Their cases were called in the Christchurch District Court today and some of them were fined and given the forms again to fill in.
As Judge Paul Kellar fined the six men and one woman, he said the information gathered was important for major planning to take place.
Crown prosecutor for the Department of Statistics Anselm Williams said the new forms had to be filled in within 14 days of the convictions.
One man told the judge that he hadn’t done the census or voted for years, and another said he had mounted a protest of sorts against EQC, but wrongly directed it to the Statistics Department.
Judge Kellar said the offending reflected the unfairness of the man being unable to obtain information about an earthquake claim.
One man pleaded not guilty and was remanded to a case review hearing on January 22, and other cases were remanded.
Those dealt with were all fined up to $300, and all had to pay court costs, and a solicitor’s fee of $226.
Category: News
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