The Blue Badge scheme is designed to help people with disabilities park closer to their destination.
Ashley Jones (30), of Passage Road, Bristol, who admitted to offences of misusing a blue badge by using a deceased women’s Disabled Person’s Parking Permit, as well as fraud by false representation when he appealed against the penalty charge notice stating the badge was valid and belonged to him, was ordered to pay a £26 victim surcharge and £1,307.11 In costs.
On Friday 12 April 2024, at Medway Magistrates Court, the court heard that on 17 and 18 August that Ashley Jones had used the badge to park closer to his accommodation whilst visiting Ashford. The vehicle displayed a badge that had been reported as badge holder deceased to the issuing authority, Bristol City Council, in August 2022.
Jones was not with his car when a Penalty Charge Notice (PCN) was issued by a Civil Enforcement Officer on both occasions. However, both PCN’s had been appealed by Jones, questioning why he has been issued a ticket because none of the signs or the machine’s say he needed to do anything other than display his blue badge.
Kent County Council (KCC), who is the issuing and enforcement authority for Blue Badges in Kent, had been informed by the Civil Enforcement Officer about the multiple misuses of the badge.
Following enquiries made by KCC’s Counter Fraud Team, Jones was invited to respond to an Interview under Caution where he stated that he found the Blue Badge in Bristol on the pavement and thought nothing of it.
Jones was then brought before the magistrate, where he pleaded guilty to fraud by misusing a deceased Disabled Person’s Parking Permit. He was given a two-year conditional discharge and ordered to pay a £26 victim surcharge and £1,307.11 in costs. The lead magistrate said that Jones’s good character was now not good, which was a pity.
Dan Watkins, Cabinet member for Adult Social Care and Public Health, said: “People who fraudulently use Blue Badges are selfish and reprehensible. They are cheating genuinely disabled people out of parking bays designed specifically for their use to aid their day-to-day mobility and avoid them suffering any additional distress and pain.
“We will continue to work with our district, borough and city councils to crack down on this crime and prosecute anyone caught in the act to the fullest extent of the law.”
Ashford Borough Council Cabinet Member for Climate, Environment and Transport, Cllr Steve Campkin said: “While out on patrol, our CEOs inspect Blue Badges to ensure they are being used correctly and will always follow up if they suspect fraud. We hope that this successful prosecution deters others from using Blue Badges fraudulently to the detriment of those who genuinely need them.”
Article courtesy of Kent County Council.
