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Thursday 23 January 2014

Ballymena TV Licensing Goon Gets Aggressive


Alarming new video footage shows a suspected TV Licensing goon refusing to identify himself and striking out at the occupier during a routine visit to an unlicensed property.



The video, which was uploaded to Facebook yesterday, shows the silver-haired effeminate-sounding goon becoming increasingly irate as the occupier films the doorstep encounter.

Although this goon point blank refuses to identify himself, we do not doubt his association with TV Licensing. His arrogant air of pseudo-officialness, perceived self-invincibility and loose interpretation of the rules betray his true allegiance. On the face of it, he really is another David Clark in the making.

For the sake of completeness, as this goon has suggested he may try to use the occupier's own video footage against him (a pretty lousy trick, which is characteristic of TV Licensing), we have transcribed the entire episode below:

[Occupier answers door]

[TV Licensing Goon]: Hi there.

[Occupier]: Hello.

[Goon]: Mr Wilson?

[Occupier]: Can I ask who's asking?

[Goon]: I'm asking.

[Occupier]: And who are you?

[Goon]: Why are you recording me?

[Occupier]: I just want to know who you are. It's for my legal purposes and your legal purposes (inaudible).

[Goon]: Okay, well do you mind if I record you then?

[Occupier]: Yeah, go on ahead. Who are you? You come to my door and you're not explaining who you are.

[Goon]: Okay. I'll go and get my camera. Be back in a sec.

[Goon starts descending communal staircase]

[Occupier]: Where are you going? You come to my door and don't tell me who you are. Who are you?

[Goon pushes his hand towards camera]

[Occupier]: Get your ID out. Who are you sir?

[Goon]: Do you know what this is about?

[Occupier]: I don't know. That's why I'm asking you.

[Goon]: Alright. I'll come back.

[Occupier]: No. Answer me my question. What do you want? You come to my door, you don't produce any ID and you just walk off. Who are you sir? Are you TV Licence?

[Goon]: No I'm not.

[Goon strikes out at occupier's phone, his hand clearly hitting it]

[Occupier]: Get your hands off my phone.

[Goon]: Hey!

[Occupier]: That can go to the police that can.

[Goon]: That's okay.

[Occupier]: Get away from my door. See, if you come to my door again it won't be a phone I bring out. It'll be a hammer.

[Goon]: Right (inaudible).

[Occupier]: Get out.

[Goon]: You've just threatened me with a hammer (inaudible).

[Occupier]: Where are you going sir? You come to my door. TV Licence, yeah?

[Goon]: No, I'm not from TV Licensing.

[Occupier]: Who are you then? Explain who you are.

[Goon]: I hope you keep that (the video), because you just threatened me on that, with a hammer.

[Occupier]: Yeah. Go on ahead sir. Come to my door, you don't explain who you are. TV Licence, right?

[Goon]: No, I'm not.

[Occupier]: Coming here intimidating old... You thought you were going to come here to intimidate a single mum, didn't you? Or an old person?

[Goon]: Sorry?

[Occupier]: Yeah. Who are you sir? Explain who you are.

[Goon gestures with hand and walks outside with back to occupier. Occupier follows goon down path]

[Occupier]: That's your car there sir? (Camera pans to dark coloured Ford Focus estate, registration number CFZ 6393).

[Goon]: No, that's not my car.

[Occupier]: Where'd you park at? Who are you?

[Goon]: It's nothing to do with you.

[Occupier]: You come to my door and don't say who you are.

[Goon gestures and speaks directly to the camera]

[Goon]: You just threatened me with a hammer.

[Occupier]: Who are you?

[Goon]: I'm going to report you to the police for threatening me with a hammer.

[Goon turns and walks down road]

[Occupier]: Go on sir. Bye bye. Don't come to my door again.


If you watch the video carefully you will notice that the occupier DOES NOT directly threaten the goon with a hammer. He simply says that he'll have one if the goon, who lashed out just seconds earlier, chooses to return.

A concluding reminder, as if one is needed, that a TV licence is only needed for those properties where equipment is installed or used to receive TV programme services. Anyone who does not require a TV licence is under no legal obligation whatsoever to communicate or co-operate with TV Licensing and they should refuse to do so.

Given their lacklustre approach to handling complaints, we somehow doubt TV Licensing will take any action against this individual. We hope they take the time to watch this video carefully, as we'd expect their man to have a very poor recollection of his actions during this particular visit.

Edit (24/1/14): Please see our latest post, where we identify the TV Licensing goon featured above as Paul Bale.

2 comments:

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TV Licensing Blog note: We have had to remove a comment from this post, which inadvertently crept through our filtering.

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Anonymous said...

My tv licence expired in may 2014 as wasnt able to renew it because i wanted to stop watching tv as the contract with virgin was too expensive. I phoned virgin to cancel my tv contract and they asked me to pay 300 pounds cancellation fee which obviously i dinnt want to pay. But i stopped watching tv but didnt disconnect it with the virgin box

TV goon shows up and tells me that he is here to renew my tv licence .

He asked details like phone number name and address and NI Number and i gave him

Then i had a closer look at the form and to my surprise it was a scary prosecution agree something form and he asks me to sign it. I said well you came here to renew my licence then why do i need to sign it, he said its an offence and blah blah. I said wait a minute, let me call my elder brother and ask for advise and i called him but was speaking in my language so he wouldnt understand. I was talking to him in my kitchen and this goon suddenly hands over the copy of unsigned form to my wife and left.

I want to know will i face criminal prosecution i mean is there any way out by talking to them because i have never broken any law before, i am simply afraid to do it, I had tv licence for 5 years and always paid £145 upfront all the time, its only this time i messed up i guess.

can anything be done here because i dont want a criminal record on my name, i mean is their a way of paying the fine they ask for without having criminal record under my name?

Please help me