Debt collectors held to account as traffic fines claim a life
(The Guardian Money News)

Courier Jerome Rogers killed himself after his bike was seized. A BBC drama tells his story and examines wider issues about debtIt started with two £65 traffic fines, one for being in a bus lane a few minutes before the restrictions ended, the other for making a prohibited right turn. Within a matter of months, those two penalties had spiralled into a debt of more than £1,000 - and then the bailiffs swooped, clamping the motorbike that was essential to Jerome Rogers´ work as a courier delivering blood and other medical items to hospitals.It ended with the 20-year-old taking his own life. Unravelling under the pressure of his mounting debt, and with his only way of earning money having been seized, he could clearly see no way out. Following the bailiff´s visit, he was found dead near his home in woods where he played as a child. Continue reading...