A grieving widow has been given a criminal conviction over a £35.84 unpaid vehicle tax bill on her late husband's car. The 51-year-old woman, from near Chesterfield in Derbyshire, was taken to court by the DVLA over the 2024 bill, which went unpaid as she dealt with funeral arrangements and other matters following his death.
In a letter to Barrow-in-Furness Magistrates' Court, the woman explained that she does not drive and has never owned a vehicle. She wrote that she was grieving and overwhelmed at the time, adding that English is not her first language and she struggled to understand official correspondence. The vehicle was kept parked at her home and was not used on any public road, she said.
The woman pleaded guilty in writing. Magistrate Dawn Towart sentenced her to a six-month conditional discharge and ordered her to pay £85 in costs on top of the original tax bill. The magistrate chose to convict and sentence her rather than refer the case back to the DVLA to consider whether prosecution remained in the public interest.
The case has highlighted concerns over the Single Justice Procedure (SJP), a fast-track system where magistrates decide cases without a public hearing. The DVLA has supported calls for reform so that prosecutors automatically see letters of mitigation submitted to the court, which can contain key details about an alleged offence. The government held a consultation on possible changes a year ago but has not yet taken action.
At her annual press conference, Lady Chief Justice Baroness Sue Carr said a senior judge had conducted a “nuts and bolts” review of the SJP system following concerns about how it operates. She did not disclose the findings but said judges are “applying the law as it applies”.
