A woman with dementia has been convicted of failing to insure a car, despite having not driven the vehicle since 2024.
A 76-year-old woman was prosecuted by the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) over issues with a Ford registered in her name.
The son-in-law of the woman from Rickmansworth, Hertfordshire, pleaded guilty on her behalf to keeping a vehicle without valid insurance.
The woman, who suffers from vascular dementia, was given an absolute discharge, meaning she was not fined and she does not need to pay any costs.
Her son-in-law said “unfortunately” documents to declare the vehicle off-road (SORN) had not been completed.
Documents obtained by the PA news agency revealed that the woman receives 24-hour care, had given up driving and was unable to understand legal documents.
He stated: “She still owns the car, but it has been in her garage for over 18 months, and it hasn’t been driven.
“Her insurance wasn’t renewed because she isn’t able to drive anymore, but unfortunately, the SORN was not completed.”
The pensioner was prosecuted for failing to insure her car, although she was not fined
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DVLA/PA
The case was brought forward under the controversial fast-track single justice procedure (SJP) court process.
Court documents also stated that the family of the woman was unable to find her V5C vehicle logbook.
The DVLA reported that a fixed penalty fine had been issued to the 76-year-old and had not been paid, the documents showed.
Her son-in-law only found out about the issues with her car after the SJP notice arrived in the post.
The woman’s son-in-law said the insurance was not renewed because she cannot drive anymore
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GETTYSingle justice procedures have been met with criticism in recent years over claims that they can lead to prosecutions without the knowledge of those being tried.
The SJP system sees prosectors, like the DVLA, not present when the case is heard and rarely sees letters sent in with pleas.
This can be particularly concerning if they contain information about a defendant’s health and mental capacity.
The DVLA has come out in support of reforming the SJP system so that prosecutors can see mitigation letters before a case is considered in court.
The DVLA has called for reforms to the SJP process
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PAIt argues that this would provide an extra check on the public interest in each prosecution.
Sir Brian Leveson, a retired senior judge, warned last week that the UK’s court system is “on the brink of collapse”, given long trial backlogs.
The former Court of Appeal judge said he was “supportive of efforts to enhance safeguards for defendants” in the SJP system.
