Information regarding Helen Mary (ROS785) being detained: FOI release

Information requested

Could you under the Freedom of Information Scotland Act please supply us with the conclusion of this case as it never became public knowledge.

Response

I can confirm the Helen Mary ROS785 was detained in Lerwick in January 2019. Two Fixed Penalty Notices (FPNs) were issued totalling £20,000, these were paid and the vessel released from detention.

Fixed Penalty Notices are a financial penalty offered to a person alleged to have committed an offence, as an alternative to the case being referred to the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS) for consideration of criminal prosecution under relevant fishery legislation. The Act provides that an FPN may be issued; there is no compulsion to issue an FPN in respect of any of the offences that qualify for an FPN.

Further details can be found on the Scottish Government Website Marine compliance: fixed penalty notices - gov.scot (www.gov.scot).

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