A local woman has spoken of her distress after cops arrived at her home and arrested her – over a TV licence.
The PSNI arrived at the woman’s Twinbrook home on Monday night and arrested her for not having paid a fine incurred for  late payment of a TV licence.
The woman, who does not want to be named, told the Andersonstown News what happened.
“The police arrived at the door and said they had a warrant for my arrest.  They asked who was in the house and when I told them it was just me and my two-year-old grandson, they said I’d better get someone to mind him because they were taking me to Lisburn police station.
“When I left the room to make a phone call, the officer shouted that I should come back to where he could see me, as if I was going to run away and leave my grandson there. He then told me I would be staying at Lisburn that night and was likely to be in Hydebank until Sunday. I was distraught.”
The woman said she received notice of the fine in late August but assumed it would be quashed because she had already paid the fee in full, albeit two weeks late.
“I had been on the phone with TV Licensing prior to getting the notice, they told me it was up-to-date so when I got the letter. I never thought anything more of it until the police came to my door.”
When a friend arrived at the police station on Monday night to pay the £325.85 fine, the police became difficult, the woman says.
“My friend arrived with £325, the police said I couldn’t go until the fine was paid in full. My friend had to go and hunt through his van for the 85p before they let me go. It was ridiculous.”
Sinn Féin MLA Jennifer McCann expressed her concern over the arrest and said people should not be criminalised because they are poor.
“I am deeply concerned that people are, due to financial difficulties, finding themselves in court and facing fines they cannot pay for issues such as TV licences.  We are constantly seeing habitual criminals who break into people’s homes, sell drugs and commit untold crimes against our community going through the courts and ending up back out on the streets.
“Yet here we have a mother who, due to her financial situation, was unable to pay for a TV licence, was fined and was arrested and told that she was going to prison if her fine wasn't paid. This woman’s family had to find the money to ensure she didn't go to prison.  I intend to take this issue up with the TV Licensing authorities and with those in the criminal justice system.  There are wider implications than this one particular case. Very often we see women who for very minor offences are given fines they simply cannot pay end up going to prison. 
“Many of the women are from low income single parent households and their children have to be cared for by relatives.  It costs more to issue and administrate the fines and send them to prison and I believe the criminal justice system needs to take on board the recommendations by the Human Rights Commission that prison in these circumstances must be a last resort. The distinction needs to be made by the TV Licensing authorities between those who cannot afford to purchase a TV licence and those who habitually avoid doing so.  The courts also need to make that distinction and stop criminalising people simply because they are poor.”
A spokeswoman for the PSNI confirmed the arrest.
“Police in Lisburn arrested a 41-year-old woman in Twinbrook by virtue of a money warrant on Monday, 2 November,” she said. “The fine was subsequently paid and the female released.”
A spokesperson for TV Licensing said: “Fines imposed for TV licence evasion are a matter for the courts.
“We cannot comment on this specific case, but our staff would never advise someone who had been issued with such a fine that they would not need to pay.”