A 32-year-old Douglas barmaid has been fined £100 after pleading guilty in a magistrates’ court to failing to complete census forms.

Victoria Morley, of Conister Road, was prosecuted under the Census Order 2016 which required the head or joint-head of every private household to complete the forms.

The forms had to be completed by April 2016 but the court heard that there had been no response from the occupant of Morley’s Conister Road address despite a final notice being sent and signed for by someone at the address.

Defending Morley in court advocate Deborah Myerscough said: ’Ms Morley is in court with her father who assists her with any difficult paperwork that she may encounter.

’It is a factor of an illness she has which makes her absent-minded and she needs assistance with paperwork. On this occasion she hadn’t asked for assistance but understands in future if she gets a letter that has to be signed for, to speak to her father.

’It wasn’t a deliberate act not to complete the census form.’

Morley will pay the fine at a rate of £20 per week.