Brett Chamberlain Wiki
Brett Chamberlain Biography
Who is Brett Chamberlain ?
A man who was arrested for using a £ 100 commemorative coin to pay for his fuel at a Tesco Extra received £ 5,000 in damages from police.
Brett Chamberlain, 54, who works as a carpenter, filled his car with £ 60 worth of diesel at a Tesco Extra in Exeter in July last year and was turned away by staff, who did not accept payment from him.wikipedia
He used a 2016 Trafalgar Square special edition £ 100 coin, which had only been minted 45,000, to pay for his fuel and is legal tender under the Coins Act of 1971.
Arrested
The father of four, who lives in Tiverton, Devon, was arrested on suspicion of ‘running away without payment’ after the manager called authorities.
He was subsequently questioned by the police at Exeter Police Station for four hours.
Investigation
Chamberlain, who collects coins, was released under investigation and the Devon and Cornwall police sent a letter saying he would not be charged.
‘They wanted to prosecute me for using Royal Mint coins. You couldn’t make it up.
‘I always use the coins to buy my fuel. Morrisons, Asda and Sainsbury’s have taken them, but Tescos are always tough, ” he told the Sun.wikipedia
Mr. Chamberlain took legal action “after not receiving a proper apology or a guarantee that the incident would be removed from the national police computer.”
He now he has received a notice of compensation of £ 5,000.
A spokesman for the Devon and Cornwall police said: “We have taken steps to acknowledge and rectify the issues raised.”
In the UK, a person cannot be sued for a debt if he has tried to pay with legal tender.
In England and Wales, the £ 5, £ 10, £ 20 and £ 50 banknotes are legal tender for payment of any amount. This is not the case in Scotland or Northern Ireland.
But Royal Mint coins of any amount are legal tender throughout the UK, which means that a court would consider them an acceptable method of payment, although a store does not have to accept them.
By law, a store also does not have to accept payments in 1 penny or 2 pence worth more than 20 pence.
Brett Chamberlain Quick and Facts
- Brett Chamberlain, 54, attempted to pay for petrol at Tesco using £100 coin
- He used a Trafalgar Square special edition which is legal tender under a 1971 Act
- The carpenter launched legal action and received £5,000 compensation
- In 2014 he had similar run-in after trying to pay for petrol with five £20 coins
Source: WikiSoon
