PENSIONER CONVICTED OVER £3.34 UNPAID CAR TAX BILL

An 86-year-old pensioner with Parkinson's disease was convicted at Lincoln Magistrates' Court for an unpaid car tax bill of £3.34. The man's daughter, who manages their finances, overlooked the £20 annual tax renewal on his silver Ford Fiesta after the family moved house. He had previously paid an £80 penalty, which he believed related to the same matter. The magistrate accepted his guilty plea and issued an absolute discharge with a £3.34 compensation order to the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA), avoiding a further fine.

The case was processed through the Single Justice Procedure (SJP), a fast-track court system where magistrates handle low-level criminal cases without public proceedings and where prosecutors do not routinely review mitigation letters. The pensioner's written mitigation detailed his health difficulties and his circumstances, including his 86-year-old wife's diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease. The SJP has drawn ongoing criticism following reports of vulnerable individuals receiving convictions over minor unpaid bills.

The government has been reviewing the SJP system for 17 months following these concerns, according to reports. No reforms have been announced to date despite completion of a consultation period. The case illustrates the issues that have prompted calls for change to the fast-track procedure's operation.