Pensioner with Parkinson's convicted over £3.34 car tax

An 86-year-old man with Parkinson’s disease has been convicted in Lincoln Magistrates’ Court for an unpaid car tax bill amounting to £3.34. The vehicle in question was untaxed for a six-week period between February and mid-March. The case was processed through the Single Justice Procedure (SJP), a fast-track court system used for low-level criminal matters.

The pensioner, who lives on the outskirts of Newcastle, explained in a written note to the court that the annual £20 tax bill had accidentally gone unpaid in January. This occurred because their daughter, who manages the couple's finances, was moving house at the time. The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) initiated the criminal prosecution without knowledge of the man's personal circumstances.

Read Next in Barnet Press1 min read

Migrants Die After Boat Found Off Dunkirk

Three people were found unresponsive on a vessel near the French coast following a busy day of Channel crossings.

The man entered a guilty plea in writing to the charge of using a vehicle without a valid licence. In his mitigation, he detailed his health difficulties, stating he has Parkinson’s disease and his wife, also 86, suffers from Alzheimer’s. He noted that his daughter has power of attorney for his financial and health matters and that she overlooked the tax renewal during her move.

He also informed the court that he had already paid an £80 financial penalty, which he believed was related to the same issue. He expressed confusion as to why he was now facing a criminal prosecution. The pensioner added that the car is now being sold as he is no longer capable of driving.

Magistrate Lynda Briggs accepted the guilty plea and issued an absolute discharge, meaning no further penalty was imposed beyond the £3.34 compensation order. The DVLA prosecuted the case without knowing the pensioner’s personal circumstances at the time of the offence.

Related Borough Coverage4 min read

Women's Sculpture Garden Faces Closure

The Artist’s Garden, the world’s only public sculpture park dedicated to female artists, may close its doors.

Concerns over Single Justice Procedure

The Single Justice Procedure allows magistrates to deal with cases behind closed doors. Reports have indicated that vulnerable individuals have faced harsh convictions for unpaid household bills through this system. The Government has been considering reforms to the SJP for the past 17 months.

Under the SJP's design, prosecutors like the DVLA do not routinely see mitigation letters. This can lead to important information, which might question the public interest of a prosecution, being missed. Magistrates have the option to adjourn cases for open court hearings or send them back to the DVLA for further checks.

The DVLA has supported the idea of reforms, including mandatory prosecution checks after defendants submit mitigation. However, no public announcements have been made by the Government since a consultation closed last May. On the same day the pensioner was sentenced, magistrates in Lincoln dealt with 60 other DVLA cases, imposing fines, costs, and compensation totalling nearly £25,000.

Court data shows that 1,950 people across England and Wales were prosecuted last week under the SJP for using a vehicle with unpaid tax.