Television licence offence prosecutions and convictions (FOI)

​Request

I would like to know how many people were prosecuted and how may were convicted in Jersey for TV licence offence. Can you give me those numbers by gender and age bracket, if possible? Also how many people were jailed for fine default in relation to TV offences?  If any, can you tell me how long they were given?

Response

The requirement to have a TV Licence arises from the Broadcasting and Communications (Jersey) Order 2004 which extends Section 363 of the UK Communication Act 2003 to Jersey. The recently completed TV Licence Enforcement Review for the UK government provides more details for Jersey and a comparison with TV licence fee enforcement in all jurisdictions.

Enforcement in Jersey is initiated by the TV Licensing function of the BBC which passes information onto the Jersey Police who then conduct their own investigation. A fine for a TV licensing offence can only be levied following successful prosecution at the Magistrate's Court: the Centenier does not have the power to summarily levy a fine for a TV licensing offence at a Parish Hall Enquiry.

We have found relevant records back to 2008. The data listed below including the gender and age of the people concerned contains all 41 cases recorded in our systems at present. In the sanction column the entries "Written caution" (25 cases) and "NFA" (No Further Action eight cases) were resolved at parish hall enquiry leaving eight cases which were prosecuted in the Magistrate's Court. Note the "arrest ordered" relates to someone who was subsequently found to have left the island before the case came to court. No people have been jailed over the period covered.  "Bound order” stands for “Binding Over Order” which is an order under the Probation Law that no penalty applies unless the person reoffends within the period of the order.