ONCE again I am here with the same old question: what planet are our magistrates and judges from?

I ask this because in The Bolton News of July 3, we have a woman fined more for failing to ensure her daughter attends school, on page 9, than a speeding motorist gets fined, page 5.

I know who poses the biggest threat on our streets, but obviously our magistrates do not.

Plus, to add insult to injury, the mother had to pay the victim surcharge.

I wonder which victims the magistrates thought she was harming, though when you think about it the £15 victim surcharge is a very easy way for the courts to make more money out of people.

Just how do you become a magistrate, because I am damn sure I could do a lot better than some who have sat on our court benches.

In Monday’s paper, there were seven cases of parents fined for failure to ensure their child attended school and two where people were fined for not buying train or bus tickets.

Again, adding insult to their punishments ,they had to pay victim surcharges.

Just who are these victims our courts are charging people for?

Desmond Magurk Bolton