A Great Denham woman now has a criminal record and has been ordered to pay almost £1,000 after she tried to avoid a £2 parking charge by misusing her child’s Blue ‘parking’ Badge.
Nasharie Oluwa, 35, of Ethelred Lane plead guilty in writing at Luton Magistrates’ Court to one offence of misusing a Blue Badge while on a shopping trip in Bedford last year.
She had parked her Mercedes in Greyfriars Car Park on 26 May and should have paid just £2 for parking. Instead she used her child’s parking badge illegally and ended up being fined £217.
Oluwa was also ordered to pay costs of £675 and a victim surcharge of £87.
An investigation by Bedford Borough Council found that Oluwa had used the Blue Badge, which belongs to her six-year-old daughter, to park in Bedford Town Centre to go shopping whilst her daughter was at school.
When initially questioned regarding this matter, Oluwa stated that she was with her daughter in the town centre, but when enquiries were made with the school this was proven not to be true.
Oluwa was invited to attend an interview under caution where she stated that she had used her daughter’s Blue Badge as she had no money to pay for parking.
A council spokesperson said: “We take the misuse of Blue Badges extremely seriously. They are vital for helping people with disabilities or health conditions park closer to their destination – misusing a Blue Badge could mean you’re taking the parking space of a disabled person who truly needs it.
“By misusing the Blue Badge on this occasion, to avoid paying for £2 parking, Mrs Oluwa now has a criminal record and has been ordered to pay £979.”
Blue Badges help people with disabilities or health conditions park closer to their destination.
It must only be displayed if the holder of the badge is travelling in the vehicle as a driver or passenger, or if someone is collecting them or dropping them off and needs to park at the place where they are being collected or dropped.
A blue badge must never be given to friends or family to allow them to park for free.
It is a criminal offence to misuse a badge. This includes people other than the badge holder taking advantage of the parking concessions provided under the scheme.
Bedford Borough Council says that fraudulent Blue Badge applications and/or their use will be investigated and action taken against those who abuse the system, which may lead to fines and a criminal conviction.
