Mother-of-two is hit with £100 fine for overstaying in car park by 14 minutes because she had stopped to give CPR to dying man after he collapsed in front of her
- Gemma Hutt, 38, had parked her vehicle in the West Street car park in Newbury
- She saw man collapse in front of her and gave him CPR until medical held arrived
- Euro Car Parks issued a £100 penalty charge for overstaying despite her appeal
A mother-of-two who raced to the aid of a dying man to give him CPR has been slammed with a £100 fine from a car parking company.
Gemma Hutt, 38, from Thatcham, Newbury, had been returning to her vehicle in the West Street car park when she saw the man collapse in front of her and gave him cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) until medical help arrived.
However Ms Hutt was later issued with a £100 penalty charge from Euro Car Parks for staying 14 minutes longer in the car park than her ticket allowed.
She has since appealed the charge and offered evidence of what had happened – but the firm rejected it and told her to pay up or face court action.
Mother-of-two Gemma Hutt, 38, from Thatcham, Newbury, was hit with a £100 penalty for overstaying in the car park by 14 minutes after she rushed to the aid of a dying man and gave him cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR)
Ms Hutt said: ‘The gentleman collapsed near to their cameras, so they must have been able to see.
‘I was told that the gentleman had passed away and I was very upset over this.
‘I would have thought, considering the circumstances, that they would have waived the fine.
‘£100 is a lot of money to me, especially at this time of year. I have two young children that expect a lot from Father Christmas. This has caused a lot of stress to me.
‘I am now on anti-depression tablets as a result and I won’t use that car park because I get very upset and have flashbacks of the situation.’
In their response, Euro Car Parks told Ms Hutt that the penalty would be held for 14 days before further charges were added.
Euro Car Parks said in their letter: ‘After carefully considering the evidence provided by you we have decided to reject your appeal.
Ms Hutt had overstayed in the West Street car park in Newbury by 14 minutes after she tried to save the dying man but Euro Car Parks rejected her appeal
They added: ‘The amount is now due and the charge will be held for 14 days to allow time to make the payment.
‘If payment is not received in this time, further charges will apply.’
In a desperate attempt to overturn the penalty, Ms Hutt has now written to Newbury MP Laura Farris for help.
Following the decision, social media users slammed the car parking company for the ‘total lack of empathy’.
One user wrote: ‘Think we should all chip in to pay the fine for her. Don’t know her personally but that is disgusting from euro car parks.’
Social media users slammed the decision to issue the fine, with one calling the move ‘absolutely disgusting’
While another added: ‘Oh my god, I would not pay the that fine as that’s awful and clearly they can see what’s happening on the cameras.’
Another added: ‘This is absolutely disgusting how can they be so awful.. what an amazing thing to do you’re an amazing woman trying so hard.’
And one person commented: ‘So these dreadful people consider it appropriate to leave a man to die to avoid over-staying in the car park. Total lack of empathy.’
MailOnline has contacted Euro Car Parks for comment.