An 81-year-old man living in a care home has been given a criminal conviction for failing to insure his car, in a case that highlights flaws in the Single Justice Procedure (SJP) system. The DVLA prosecuted the pensioner after the insurance on his Renault Scenic expired and he did not declare it off-road.
His wife wrote to the court explaining that her husband, who resides in a dementia care home in Cambridgeshire, can no longer manage his finances or personal affairs. She submitted a guilty plea on his behalf, stating the insurance was unintentionally left unpaid due to his health, and that the vehicle was not in use.
Despite the mitigation, a magistrate imposed a conviction without additional punishment. The case was processed behind closed doors under the SJP, a fast-track system for low-level offences that magistrates have acknowledged as broken.
The DVLA stated that SJP notices are only issued after exhausting other enforcement routes, and defendants can request a hearing in open court. However, critics argue that mitigating letters are often not seen by prosecutors due to the system's streamlined design.
