Newham Council in east London has prosecuted three motorists who were found to be illegally using Blue Badges to access disabled parking spaces.
In October 2015, the three men were caught using cancelled Blue Badges to park in Residents Parking Zones (RPZ) and disabled bays in Forest Gate, eat London by one of the council’s dedicated ward enforcement officers.
At Thames Magistrates’ Court, the three men were convicted and sentenced for the misuse of a disabled badge.
Davinder Singh Rehinsi, 63, of Lambourne Road in Ilford was found guilty in his absence. He was caught parked in a disabled bay in Sixth Avenue in Ilford with an invalid Blue Badge on October 17 2015. During the council’s investigation he told officers he had bought the badge in a pub, However, it was found to have been cancelled by its owner in Essex. Rehinsi was fined £440 and ordered to pay the council’s investigation costs of £130 and a victim surcharge of £44.
Kalvinder Singh Sehmi, 52, of Pelham Road in Ilford pleaded guilty to using his deceased grandmother’s Blue Badge for six months. He was finally caught misusing the badge when he parked in the Residents’ Parking Zones in Roseberry Avenue on October 20. He was fined £300 and ordered to pay the council’s investigation costs of £130 and a victim surcharge of £30.
Sandhu Major Singh, 60, of Lambourne Road in Chigwell pleaded guilty to using his deceased father’s Blue Badge to park in the RPZ in Roseberry Avenue on October 29. He had been using the invalid badge for ten months, the council discovered. He was fined £336 and ordered to pay the council’s investigation costs of £130 and a victim surcharge of £34.
The maximum fine for blue badge misuse is £1,000.
After sentencing, Newham Council’s Cabinet Member for building communities, public affairs, planning and regeneration, Councillor Ken Clark, said:
“These three thought they could flout the law but they were wrong.
“The Blue Badge scheme is meant to help disabled people park conveniently close to places like their homes, work or shops – it is not meant to be abused by people who want to park for free.
“This trio blocked vital parking spaces needed by disabled people and now they have a criminal record.
“We are determined to ensure that all our residents are able to get around the borough as safely and smoothly as possible.
“Investigating the misuse of Blue Badges is another way that we are Keeping Newham Moving for all residents.”
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