Petitions

The following are some of the things to look out for when questioning the authenticity of a court document:

• Absence of a Court Seal
• Court Seal which is not in keeping with those used by HMCTS
• Court Seal which looks as if it has been copied and pasted in electronically
• Absence of court postal address and name of court admin staff who produced document (County Court) at bottom on form
• Absence of court form number, effective date and revision date at bottom of form
• Absence of words ‘Crown Copyright’ at the bottom of the form

On examination of Civil Procedures Rules, in CPR 2.6(2)(b), the permitting of electronic stamping of documents leaves it wide open for the dishonest and the disreputable to create apparently-sealed court documents and then pass them off as genuine.

In CPR 2.6(3), the permitting of a document to be admitted into evidence which purports to be sealed leaves it open for the dishonest and disreputable to defraud with impunity and with little fear of being challenged.

These two rules, in particular, have allowed the dishonest and the disreputable to asset-strip people from all walks of life, causing psychological torture to them in the process. Those affected include individuals, families, small businesses and even successful large companies, but the worst effect is on families which have been ripped apart by this insidious fraud.