Pay-up order over long-paid fine

Leeann Hansen with the unpaid-fine notice from 1987. Photo / Glenn Jeffrey

Leeann Hansen vividly remembers the day her dad marched her to court to pay an unpaid fine - but 22 years later, she has been asked to find a receipt to prove it.

In 1987, police knocked on the door of the family home to arrest Leeann, who owed $150 from an unpaid fine three years earlier.

The teenager was out and her parents, James and Dorothy Hansen, were dismayed to learn she had been caught with a marijuana joint.

When she returned home a few hours later, her irate father took her straight to the Henderson District Court to erase the fine.

The family had sold their Kelston house and were booked to emigrate to Queensland. James Hansen - a former prison officer - didn't want anything to jeopardise the shift.

Two weeks later, the Hansens moved to Australia and Leeann Hansen never gave the fine another thought.

She moved back to New Zealand six years ago and is working in insurance.

So imagine her surprise when the Ministry of Justice sent her a letter, asking her to settle her unpaid fine. She rang to inquire and was told the fine was issued in 1984.

"I thought it was a joke and explained how I remembered paying the fine. The operator then asked if I had a receipt," said Ms Hansen.

"I asked: 'Who keeps proof of payment for 22 years?' I don't believe that is fair or reasonable."

Ms Hansen asked the operator why she had never been stopped at Customs because of outstanding fines. She also pointed out that she had not been notified of any debt despite being back in New Zealand for six years.

The operator said the case was "complex" and she would investigate. When Ms Hansen rang back, another call-taker said she would have to take time off work and "sort it" at court. "I cannot believe the onus is on me to prove I paid a fine from 25 years ago."

James Hansen has died but Dorothy Hansen confirmed her daughter's story. She was the only person home when the police arrived but called her husband at work.

"He was a very law-abiding man, so she had really blown it. He was absolutely livid. I thought he was going to have a coronary," Mrs Hansen said.

Justice Minister Simon Power declined to comment.

A spokeswoman for the Justice Ministry has apologised to Ms Hansen but could not comment further on the specific case.

In a statement, the ministry's collections unit said the courts were "required to seek payment irrespective of the age of a fine".

"In instances where payment is disputed, a receipt can clarify whether a fine has been paid. However, the court does not expect people to keep records for long periods of time and should not demand one."