Mid Sussex Blue Badge fraudster handed fine and criminal record

West Sussex County Council said the man was spotted using the badge that did not belong to him to park on single-yellow lines near his workplace.

He was found guilty by a jury of using a Blue Badge with intent to deceive, a spokesman for the county council said.

The spokesman added: “He now has a criminal record and has to pay fines and court costs totalling £7,500 (£1,500 in fines and £6,000 court costs).”

The man is among 14 people who have now been successfully prosecuted in the county-wide clampdown on Blue Badge parking fraud, the county council said.

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Amanda Jupp, county council cabinet member for adults and health, said: “Blue Badge misuse is not only fraud, but it can mean that genuine, vulnerable users are deprived of vital services because parking spaces are taken by fraudsters.

“This could include spaces near doctors’ surgeries, chemists or other community facilities.

“We won’t hesitate to take action against fraudsters who are depriving genuine Blue Badge holders of their ability to park.”

Since August 2017, county council officers have been working in partnership with Brighton and Hove City Council and colleagues at all seven local district and borough councils to clampdown on Blue Badge misuse.

Officers, working with Sussex Police, have also issued a number of official warnings, called Community Resolutions. These are offered in some circumstances as a first-level way of dealing with offences without taking people to court, a spokesman said.

They are formal warnings in which people agree to attend an information and education session where they learn about the consequences of their actions.

There are currently 35,000 Blue Badges on issue in West Sussex. Blue Badges enable drivers and passengers with severe mobility problems to park close to the services they need to access.