A MOTORIST has been prosecuted and slapped with a heavy fine after fraudulently using a disabled blue badge which belonged to a dead family member.
Dr Emir Patel, of Rangeley Place, Reading, was ordered to pay fines and costs totalling £2,477.50 at Reading Crown Court on March 17, after he was caught using the parking badge which had belonged to a member of his family.
It comes after, on November 5 last year, a Council Civil Enforcement Officer came across a red Renault vehicle parked in a disabled bay at St Mary’s Butts displaying a blue badge which had expired that July.
An investigation uncovered that the badge had originally belonged to Dr Patel’s father, who had passed away, and had been cancelled two months prior.
Despite this, Dr Patel had retained the blue badge and placed it on display in the hire car he had collected that same day.
A penalty charge notice was issued and, while Reading Borough Council prosecution was suitable for a Magistrates’ Court hearing, Dr Patel elected for a trial at Reading Crown Court instead where he pleaded guilty to an offence under Section 2 of the Fraud Act 2006 (Fraud by False Representation)
Dr Patel was ordered to pay a £560 fine and £1,917.50 in investigation and legal costs within six months. In addition, he was ordered to pay a victim surcharge of £244.
The case comes in the wake of a similar prosecution earlier this year; in April last year, a Council Civil Enforcement Officer observed a vehicle parked in a pay & display bay on Castle Street, Reading.
It was displaying a blue badge that, although containing a genuine number, appeared to be a laminated copy.
A criminal investigation which followed established that the badge reference number matched an original badge that had been reported stolen and replaced in May 2024.
A Surrey woman, Katrina Drummie, was found guilty of Fraud by False Representation (Section 2 of the Fraud Act 2006), determining that she had knowingly displayed a counterfeit disabled person’s parking badge with intent to make a gain for herself.
She was fined £120, ordered to pay a £48 victim surcharge, and a £400 contribution towards prosecution costs.
John Ennis, Reading Borough Council’s Lead Councillor for Transport, said: “The disabled persons parking scheme is a lifeline for residents who genuinely need it as it allows them to park close to homes or shops.
“The criminal misuse of blue badges completely undermines the system and takes parking spaces away from those who actually need them.
“The Council takes all suspected fraud and misuse of blue badges extremely seriously and will not hesitate to investigate all reports and, where it is possible, progress cases to prosecution.
“The size of the fines issued should be deterrent enough for anybody considering the fraudulent use of blue badges in Reading.”
