Man caught using 90-year-old disabled and dementia-suffering mum's blue badge in Southsea denies offence despite carer saying badge holder 'never leaves home'

Paul Hawkins' attempts to deceive Portsmouth City Council even saw him lodge appeals to contest two penalty charge notices he was slapped with.

The 65-year-old parked his Vauxhall Astra in Tonbridge Street, Southsea, on a single yellow line with a ‘no waiting’ restriction on August 5, Portsmouth Magistrates’ Court heard.

A call from the city council enforcement officer to the badge holder was answered by the carer of Hawkins’ frail mum who confirmed she was at her Southsea home.

The carer said she had ‘never known (Hawkins’ mum) to leave the house’.

But Hawkins continued on his quest to prove his innocence when questioned after returning unaccompanied to his car.

In a statement read out to court, the enforcement officer said: ‘When questioned, the defendant stated that the badge holder was in the nearby shopping precinct and he was going to pick her up outside Lloyds bank.

‘He repeated this account and then stated that the badge holder would return to the vehicle soon.’

The council subsequently received an appeal letter later in the month from Hawkins, in which he repeated his tale.

The officer added: ‘(Hawkins said) it would be a financial hardship for him to be penalised for looking after his mother. He believes the parking fine is invalid and should be cancelled as he was using the badge correctly.’

Hawkins, of St Kildas Road, Brentwood, Essex, failed to take up the offer of attending an interview with the council on a number of occasions. On one occasion, the defendant claimed he had not received a council letter sent by recorded delivery. He also pulled out of an interview due to claims he had Covid.

A telephone conversation was held between Hawkins and an enforcement officer, though, in which he stood firm over his claims.

‘The defendant remained adamant that he had not been misusing the disabled badge and that his appeal was genuine and did not understand why the authority believed that was incorrect,’ the officer said.

But when it was pointed out a security call to Hawkins’ mum confirmed she was at home, the defendant simply replied 'oh' as his fantasy account was exposed.

The court heard Hawkins had also received a second penalty charge notice on the same day for parking longer than permitted in Languard Road residents’ parking zone, Southsea, before also lodging an appeal for this.

Referring to the appeals, the officer said: ‘The defendant took time to decide on his course of action and construct the false appeal to again disguise the criminality and his abuse of this disabled badge.

‘It was intentionally submitted by the defendant knowing he was acting dishonestly, and his statements clearly false and misleading.’

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Hawkins paid the two notices in October.

He admitted a charge of using a disabled blue badge for personal gain in the absence of the holder.

Hawkins was fined £200 and told to pay council costs of £400, as well as a £34 surcharge.