Homeowners in the North East have been fined in court for not having a TV licence in their house.

At Teesside Magistrates' Court, several people have been fined between £176 and £524 for the offence, which saw them prosecuted.

The Northern Echo has pieced together the people who have been named, shamed and fined for not paying their TV licence from the North East over the last seven days. 

Below are the people who appeared in court: 

A Newcastle resident was found guilty of using a television without a licence. 

On Friday (January 19) last week, 21-year-old Wilery Da Silva of Whitworth Close, Walker, Newcastle, was ordered to pay a fine of £146.

The charge came after he had been found using a TV receiver without a licence at his home address between February 23 and March 24 last year.

Da Silva had previously entered a guilty plea at North Northumbria Magistrates' Court and was not present for the conviction at Teesside Magistrates Court.

Alongside the fine, he was also ordered to pay a surcharge of £58 and £120 to cover court costs - making it a total of £324 for him to pay.

Another person who has been fined in court is Sunderland resident, Paul Morrison, 66, of Florence Crescent, who watched television without a TV licence.

The charge against Morrison related to him not having a licence on or about February 14 last year.

Morrison's absence from court proceedings at Teesside Magistrates' Court last Friday (January 19) did not prevent the issuing of a fine from the TV Licensing authority.

Morrison received a £293 fine for the offence, as well as additional costs of £120 and a £117 victim surcharge.

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The total balance owed by Morrison stands at £530, with the deadline for payment being set for February 28, 2024.

The last person who was fined at Teesside Magistrates' Court last Friday (January 19) was Tahira Zameer, 44, of Cotswold Crescent, Billingham.

He was using a television receiver at his home without a TV License, an offence which landed him in court.

He did not appear at the hearing but pleaded guilty by mail on January 19, 2024.

The court took Zameer's guilty plea into account when imposing the £40 fine.

In addition to the £40 fine, Zameer is also required to pay a victim surcharge of £16 and costs of £120 - making the amount owed by Zameer as £176.