A judge has allowed a parking company in Wales to continue its prosecution of a man over a parking charge – despite two previous courts throwing the case out. It’s over the fact that the company did not offer a Welsh-language version of the ticket. Moreover, courts previous threw the case out twice before. Now, the judge – while allowing the case – has essentially told the parking company it’s ridiculous.
Wales: “beyond unfortunate” is an understatement
After an appeal on technical grounds by the One Parking Solutions company was allowed in court on Friday 26 January, the company are able to continue to prosecute Toni Schiavone over a parking charge notice he received in Wales in 2020.
However, the judge, Gareth Humphreys, said that the company should carefully consider the value of continuing with the “long, beyond unfortunate” case that has already cost the parking company over £10,000 to date.
The judge said that the company had 28 days to decide whether or not to continue suing Toni, and recommended that the company consider the value of doing so. The judge said that the company had appealed the technical matter in order to avoid similar cases in the future.
An “unnecessary threat” simply for revenge
Speaking in court at the end of his trial, Toni Schiavone said the courts in Wales had been misused:
This issue could have been resolved very easily and very quickly by providing a Welsh or bilingual Parking Charge Notice, which would have cost around £60 to translate. It is now clear that the claimant is more interested in revenge than in showing respect for the Welsh language. In my opinion the claimant has behaved in a disrespectful, unreasonable and vindictive manner.
One Parking Solutions presented costs of £10,156.70 to me in a letter yesterday as well. That is completely inappropriate, an unnecessary threat and shows that the company’s aim is revenge.
Confirming the costs of over £10,000, the judge said that the court would not have allowed such costs as they were beyond control, it was not Toni’s fault that another trial was taking place, and that he had not behaved “inappropriately”.
Cai Phillips, deputy chair of Cymdeithas yr Iaith’s Welsh Language Group, added:
We call on One Parking Solutions to drop the case against Toni, and on the Welsh Language Commissioner and Jeremy Miles to recognize that the Welsh Language Measure (2011) needs to be changed in order to include private companies, so that they cannot sue an individual for wanting to live through the medium of Welsh.
This company has chosen to make an example of Toni rather than provide a very simple Welsh service. This case demonstrates how weak the Welsh Language Measure (2011) is, which does give us effective rights in a range of areas.
Welsh version
Mae barnwr wedi caniatáu i gwmni parcio barhau i erlyn dyn dros dâl parcio – er i ddau lys blaenorol daflu’r achos allan. Mae’r ffaith nad oedd y cwmni wedi cynnig fersiwn Gymraeg o’r tocyn. Ar ben hynny, mae llysoedd yn flaenorol wedi taflu’r achos allan ddwywaith o’r blaen. Nawr, mae’r barnwr – tra’n caniatáu’r achos – yn ei hanfod wedi dweud wrth y cwmni parcio ei fod yn chwerthinllyd.
Cymru: “tu hwnt i anffodus” yn danddatganiad
Wedi i apêl ar sail technegol gan gwmni One Parking Solution gael ei ganiatáu mewn llys heddiw (dydd Gwener 26 Ionawr) gall y cwmni barhau i erlyn Toni Schiavone dros hysbysiad cosb parcio a dderbyniodd yn 2020.
Er hynny, dywedodd y barnwr, Gareth Humphreys, y dylai’r cwmni ystyried yn ofalus gwerth parhau gydag achos sydd eisoes wedi bod yn “hir, anffodus tu hwnt” ac sydd wedi costio dros £10,000 i’r cwmni parcio hyd yma.
Dywedodd y barnwr bod gan y cwmni 28 diwrnod i benderfynu parhau i erlyn Toni ai peidio, ac argymhellodd bod y cwmni yn ystyried gwerth a budd parhau â’r achos. Dywedodd y barnwr bod y cwmni wedi apelio’r mater technegol er mwyn osgoi achosion tebyg yn y dyfodol.
Mae “bygythiad diangen” yn syml ar gyfer dial
Wrth siarad yn y llys ar ddiwedd ei achos, dywedodd Toni Schiavone bod y llysoedd wedi cael eu camddefnyddio:
Gallai’r mater yma fod wedi cael ei ddatrys yn hawdd iawn ac yn gyflym iawn trwy ddarparu Hysbysiad Cosb Parcio Cymraeg neu ddwyieithog, fyddai wedi costio tua £60 i’w gyfieithu. Mae’n amlwg erbyn hyn bod gan yr hawlydd fwy o ddiddordeb mewn dial na mewn dangos parch at y Gymraeg. Yn fy marn i mae’r hawlydd wedi ymddwyn yn amharchus, yn afresymol ac yn ddialgar.
Fe wnaeth One Parking Solutions gyflwyno costau o £10,156.70 i fi mewn llythyr ddoe hefyd. Mae hynny’n hollol amhriodol, yn fygythiad diangen ac yn dangos mai dial yw nod y cwmni.
Yn cadarnhau’r costau o dros £10,000, dywedodd y barnwr na fyddai’r llys wedi caniatáu costau o’r fath gan eu bod y tu hwnt i reolaeth, gan nad oedd bai ar Toni bod achos llys arall yn cael ei chynnal a nad oedd wedi ymddwyn yn “amhriodol”.
Ychwanegodd Cai Phillips, Is-gadeirydd grŵp Hawl i’r Gymraeg Cymdeithas yr Iaith:
Galwn ar One Parking Solutions i ollwng yr achos yn erbyn Toni, ac ar Gomisiynydd y Gymraeg a Jermey Miles i gydnabod bod angen newid y Mesur y Gymraeg (2011) er mwyn cynnwys cwmnïau preifat, fel na allant erlyn unigolyn am fod eisiau byw yn Gymraeg.
Mae’r cwmni yma wedi dewis gwneud esiampl o Toni yn hytrach na darparu gwasanaeth Cymraeg syml, iawn. Mae’r achos yma’n dangos pa mor wan yw Mesur y Gymraeg (2011), nad yw’n rhoi hawliau i ni mewn gwirionedd mewn sawl maes.
Featured image via Cymdeithas yr Iaith
