Licence dodgers brought to court

A total of 26 people from Portadown, Lurgan, and the central area of Craigavon were prosecuted for not having current television licences.

Of those people prosecuted, 19 were fined amounts ranging from 40 to 150. Each defaulter was also ordered to pay for the ‘free’ viewing they had enjoyed, and in a number of cases this amounted to over 160.

Each defendant was also ordered to pay the court costs, and District Judge Philip Mateer told several of the defendants that it would have been less costly to have taken out a television licence.

Of the other cases, two were withdrawn, and the other five were adjourned until February 26, to enable the defendants to take out new licences and pay the revenue arrears.