A 50-year-old woman used her deceased father’s blue badge to park without charge in a disabled bay.
Jacquline McGuire displayed the badge while parking at Birch Terrace car park in Stoke in June 2021.
When challenged by a traffic warden, McGuire claimed she was collecting her father.
However, she returned to the vehicle nine minutes later without him.
A 50-year-old woman used her deceased father’s blue badgeGETTYThe traffic warden questioned her again about the badge’s use and subsequently issued a parking fine.
A Stoke-on-Trent City Council investigation later revealed the blue badge belonged to McGuire’s late father.
McGuire was prosecuted at North Staffordshire Justice Centre, facing charges of unlawfully using a disabled person’s badge and fraud by false representation.
The court heard that magistrates initially questioned whether to proceed, given that a parking penalty had already been issued.
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McGuire told the court: “When we parked there, my mum realised she hadn’t got any change, but with having the blue badge, I just pulled it out.
“We were there for nine minutes and I realised I shouldn’t have been there. I wouldn’t say I did it for my own gain, it was just a picture of my dad I had in the car.”
Despite the existing parking penalty, magistrates decided to proceed with the case.
They ultimately accepted that McGuire had made what they termed a “silly mistake”.
The incident occurred at Birch Terrace Car Park
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The court handed down a six-month conditional discharge for McGuire.
She was also ordered to pay £265 in costs and a £26 victim surcharge, bringing the total financial penalty to £291.
Another homeowner has sparked a heated dispute with their neighbour over parking arrangements on their residential street.
The issue has escalated to the point where the aggrieved homeowner is now considering purchasing a second vehicle.
