Royal Greenwich Prosecutes One Over Misuse Of The Blue Badge - Over £1,000 Fine Imposed

by Nancy Weirh | Woolwich

A man has been ordered to pay fines of over £1,000 for fraudulently using a friend’s Blue Badge, after a successful prosecution by the Royal Borough of Greenwich.

On 14 December 2015 at Bexley Magistrates Court, 58 year old Nicholas Barnett, of Sherwood Road, Hampton, Middlesex, pleaded guilty to misusing his friend’s Blue Badge to park his car in a controlled parking zone without payment whilst he attended a college in Greenwich to give a lecture.

Royal Borough investigators saw Mr Barnett’s Porsche displaying a Blue Badge on 3 separate occasions at Gloucester Circus, SE10. Checks confirmed that the Blue Badge had been issued by Camden Council and did not relate to Mr Barnett.

On the third occasion he was approached by officers from the Royal Borough’s Internal Audit & Anti-Fraud team and admitted that he had parked to go to work at the college and that the Blue Badge holder had not been travelling with him in the vehicle.

Investigators interviewed Mr Barnett under caution and he admitted misuse of the Blue Badge on each of the dates that his Porsche had been seen.

Mr Barnett was summonsed to appear at Bexley Magistrates Court and on 14 December 2015 he pleaded guilty to 2 offences which contravened the Disabled Persons (Badges for Motor Vehicles) (England) Regulations 2000 (S1200-0/682) contrary to section 117(1) of the Road Traffic Regulations Act 1984.

At court Mr Barnett’s solicitor put forward that his client was remorseful for his actions and that he should be given credit for being frank at the interview. The Court ordered Mr Barnett to pay a fine of £230.00, a victim surcharge of £23.00, a Criminal Courts charge of £150.00, and awarded costs of £617.00 to the Royal Borough of Greenwich.

Councillor Maureen O’Mara (top left), Cabinet Member for Customer Services, said “As part of our ongoing commitment to prevent and detect fraud, the Royal Borough is taking rigorous action against Blue Badge misuse. This is good news for all genuine Blue Badge holders who so often are inconvenienced by other car drivers who take up valuable parking spaces whilst misusing Blue Badges they have no right to use. Mr Barnett’s misuse of a Blue Badge has now cost him over £1,000 in court fines and costs. Perhaps now he and others will think twice before misusing a Blue Badge.”

If you suspect someone of committing Blue Badge fraud against the Royal Borough please call 0800 169 6975 or email Blue-Badge-Fraud@royalgreenwich.gov.uk. Any information you give will be treated in confidence.