Ex-Eagle faces off in parking fine spat

EARLIER this week, former Eagles premiership player Michael Braun has faced off against City of Stirling in court over a parking fine spat.

Braun is one of 11 people who have fought the City of Stirling in court over parking fines in the past year.

Community News can reveal 11 drivers have chosen to fight their parking infringements in court, costing the City about $28,600 between July 1, 2018 and June 30, 2019.

The City has issued 8907 parking infringements worth about $765,000 and received 2122 appeals in this period.

Community development director Michael Quirk said appeals were not necessarily related to fines issued in the last financial year as they could be appealed at any stage.

He said 482 appeals were successful and external lawyers were only engaged to represent the City after drivers chose to have the matter determined by a magistrate.

Braun fronted Perth Magistrates Court on Thursday charged with failing to display a parking ticket.

A prosecutor engaged by the City said they took the issue to court to act as a general deterrent and Braun’s “previous history”.

She said the fine came in September when Braun’s Mitsubishi was parked on Cedric Street in Stirling but he was issued a caution earlier in the year for not having a parking ticket.

He was initially fined $80 but this grew to $250 when he refused to pay.

“The City can’t be seen to be giving special treatment to certain people,” she said.

Braun said he worked on Cedric Street and had purchased more than 100 parking tickets in the past year.

“I’ve spent hundreds of dollars to fight the City of Stirling over an $80 parking fine,” he said.

Braun had been set to fight the charge but changed his plea to guilty, which the magistrate acknowledged was an “economic decision”.

He was fined $250 and ordered to pay court costs of $1585.