"Dead mother" Blue Badge abuser banned from driving
19/01/2009
The disabled motorists` campaigning charity Mobilise say they are delighted to hear that a judge has seen fit to ban a woman from driving for 21 days for fraudulently using a Blue Badge. Usually Badge abusers are just fined and so to see a judge actually banning someone from driving, they say, is a real step forward in the fight against Blue Badge fraudsters.
Sandra Benne from Lythemere, Orton Malborne, Peterborough was caught using a Blue disabled Badge belonging to her dead mother and is now facing the consequences of her selfish actions - three weeks without being able to drive.
Helen Smith, Mobilise Director of Policy and Campaigns said "Mobilise has campaigned for many years for harsher penalties to be issued to people who think that fraudulently using a Blue Badge is acceptable behaviour. By taking up the space that a genuine disabled person needs these people are hindering the ability of disabled people to go about their daily business. They are taking away the liberty of disabled people by their behaviour and I think that 21 days without being able to drive is a suitable punishment. Having a Blue Badge is not some kind of perk and I`m sure that most disabled people would gladly swap the ability to walk well for a badge. I congratulate this judge on the decision he made and I hope to see many more judges following suit."
Sandra Bennett had parked her car in the city centre`s St Peter`s Road, using the badge, which had been issued to her mother, who had died two years earlier. Peterborough Magistrates` Court was told that Bennett had changed the expiry date from July 4, 2007 to July 4, 2009. Bennett claimed the incident when she used the badge was a one-off, and she denied altering the expiry date. But she pleaded guilty to a charge of "dishonestly making a false representation, intending to make a gain".
District Judge Ken Sheraton imposed a 21-day driving ban and fined Bennett £150. She must also pay costs of £55 and a victim surcharge of £15.
Afterwards, councillor Wayne Fitzgerald, the council`s cabinet member for environment, said: "The blue badge scheme was set up to provide parking concessions to those with legitimate mobility problems, but, sadly, some people are intent on abusing the system.
"Peterborough City Council will not hesitate to take action against those who fraudulently use blue badges in this way. Such behaviour taints the reputation of legitimate blue badge users, and this case proves that the courts take a very dim view of it."
Mobilise says they hope to see many more cases of driving bans in the future.