A Backwell woman used her dead grandfather’s blue disabled badge for two years to avoid paying for parking, a court was told today (Friday).
Zoe Carter-Owen, of Westfield Close, pleaded guilty ahead of the hearing at North Somerset Courthouse and was fined more than £400.
She was caught misusing the blue badge in her Audi A4 in Weston-super-Mare last summer after lying to a parking attendant that she was using the badge to pick up her grandfather.
However, her grandfather Melville Walter Owen, who was the intended user of the badge, had died in 2014 at the age of 89.
For misuse of the blue badge she was fined £220, ordered to pay a victim surcharge of £30 and costs of £320. For failing to pay the parking fine she was ordered to pay £220 and costs of £70.
The court has also ordered that the blue badge be returned to North Somerset Council.
* For the full story, see Wednesday’s Times.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here