Woman fined for second disability badge parking fraud offence in Rotherham

Shaheen Rahim, aged 40, of Hall Crescent, Broom, Rotherham, used her son's blue badge to park for free in the Scala car park in Rotherham town centre in June.

Rotherham Council said she was prosecuted for a similar offence in October 2012 when she was found guilty of using her son’s blue badge to park for free on Howard Street in the town centre.

She was fined £440 and ordered to pay £300 costs and a £44 victim surcharge for the second offence after she was found guilty of the offence in her absence.

.Councillor Denise Lelliott, Rotherham Council’s Cabinet Member for Jobs and the Local Economy, said: "This is yet another example of a blue badge being used for the convenience of someone who was not entitled to use it.

“Being prosecuted once is bad enough but to re-offend is deplorable. People need to be aware that the council has the power to withdraw blue badges if they are mis-used.

“Drivers also need to consider whether it is worth risking a conviction to avoid putting money in a ‘pay and display’ machine. If we catch drivers using blue badges without being entitled to do so, we will prosecute where it is in the public interest.”