Woman convicted by secret court for not paying car tax during cancer treatment
A woman has been convicted by a secret court for failing to pay her car tax while undergoing life-saving cancer treatment.
The 53-year-old from Newmarket was prosecuted by the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) in a secretive, fast-tracked Single Justice Procedure (SJP) hearing.
The tax for the woman's Vauxhall expired shortly after she was diagnosed with breast cancer, court documents show, and went unpaid while she underwent treatment, the London Standard reported.
'I was diagnosed with stage 3 breast cancer in June 2024,' she wrote in a mitigation letter to the court.
'This was followed by surgery to remove my breast and lymph nodes followed by six months of chemotherapy and radiotherapy.
'During my cancer treatment, I forgot to tax my car and I am very sorry for this.'
Despite her circumstances, the case was not withdrawn and proceeded to the magistrate.
DVLA accused of pursuing unnecessary cases
There is currently no legal requirement for prosecutors to check mitigation letters, even if they contain details indicating that a case is no longer in the public interest.
The woman made two payments of £80, in February and May, and she entered a guilty plea to the charge of keeping an unlicensed vehicle.
A magistrate in Northumberland, some 271 miles from Newmarket, who ruled on the SJP case, spared the woman the fine. However, she was still ordered to pay £47.50 in compensation and now has a conviction against her name.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
BreakingNews.ie
44 minutes ago
- BreakingNews.ie
PSNI disclosing information to inquiry ‘as quickly as it can'
The PSNI is disclosing information to the Omagh Bombing Inquiry 'as quickly as it can', its legal team has said. The pledge came after the overall pace of disclosure to the proceedings was deemed not to be fast enough by the inquiry's counsel. Advertisement The Real IRA bomb in the Co Tyrone town in August 1998 killed 29 people, including a woman who was pregnant with twins, in the worst single atrocity in the Troubles in Northern Ireland. The public inquiry was set up by the previous UK government to examine whether the explosion could have been prevented by the UK authorities. Philip Henry KC, for the PSNI, said the police service had implemented a new team for the Omagh Bombing Inquiry review, adding that the organisation offers its sincere condolences to those who lost loved ones and its deepest sympathy to all those affected. However, he said there were significant challenges and limitations associated with old, outdated and non-interconnected information technology systems as well as paper records. Advertisement As an example, he said an electronic system that stores criminal investigation papers on the Omagh Bombing holds 26,000 documents of varying length and 2,000 exhibits. In addition, he said the 'magnitude of the request' by the inquiry to provide material in connection with 31 previous attacks and attempted attacks from 25 years ago is 'a huge undertaking'. 'It is important to emphasise that the PSNI is not offering this as an excuse. Rather, it is a candid explanation of what is involved, so that expectations are realistic as to how quickly it is possible to reliably meet the inquiry's requirements. 'The PSNI recognises that any periods of delay can cause frustration. However, the PSNI must also do the work properly – and it is being done as quickly as it can, and in good faith.' Advertisement Mr Henry outlined how it took over three months for three highly trained sensitive researchers to investigate the first three of 31 previous incidents identified by the inquiry. It was believed it would have delayed inquiry proceedings by several years if the PSNI did not allocate additional resources to the process. While the PSNI is also dealing with more than 1,100 other pieces of legacy-related litigation, it decided to reassign all its sensitive researchers who were working on other cases to join the work on the 31 previous incidents for a period of six months. He said this 'exceptional step' was done in the knowledge that it may impact on work on other legacy-related cases. Advertisement 'However, if it did not adopt this course then there would be a delay of several years in progressing the inquiry, which was unacceptable to the PSNI, unacceptable to the inquiry, and would have been unacceptable to the other core participants.' Mr Henry said it will not be possible for the PSNI to disclose all information in an open, public format but said the service would apply for restriction orders only to protect the public interest or national security and to comply with the European Convention on Human Rights. On the subject of making concessions, he said the PSNI will do so if it becomes appropriate but added that it was not possible at this point in time as it is still in the process of reviewing thousands of documents. Ireland UK government's approach to Omagh bomb hearing 'ri... Read More He also said the PSNI believed that the examination of the preventability of the bombing needed to be calibrated with reference to what was reasonably practicable in the circumstances. Advertisement He added that a fair and balanced examination would also have to look at other demands and threats faced by the police at the time. Finally, he noted that it is 'much easier to join the dots after the event, when one already knows the outcome' as he said the inquiry must be aware of 'hindsight bias'.
BreakingNews.ie
44 minutes ago
- BreakingNews.ie
Man (34) charged with causing damage to the office of the Taoiseach
A man charged with causing criminal damage to the constituency office of the Taoiseach in Cork has been ordered to stay away from the area and to refrain from any contact, indirect or direct, with Micheál Martin or his staff members. Thomas Heising of Frankfield Terrace, Summerhill South, Cork city appeared before a sitting of Cork District Court on Monday charged with damaging property, to wit the walls, door and windowsill of 137 Evergreen Road in Cork on May 27th last. Advertisement The offence is contrary to Section 2(1) of the Criminal Damage Act, 1991. Sgt Chris Cahill said Mr Heising made no reply when the charge was put to him under caution. Mr Heising (34) was arrested on Saturday and charged with the offence on Sunday. No objection to bail was made in the case. Certain bail conditions were put in place. Mr Heising was ordered to have no contact, direct or indirect, with the Taoiseach, his staff or any public officials. This includes contacting persons on social media. He also has to stay away from Evergreen Road. Advertisement Judge Mary Dorgan also warned the accused not to involve himself in commentary in relation to the case. This includes commentary which may take place on social media platforms. Defence solicitor Shane Collins Daly said that his client had co operated fully with gardai during his garda interview. Sgt Cahill confirmed that this was the case. Mr Heising was asked if he agreed to abide by the conditions of his bail. He replied 'I am.' Ireland Asylum seeker killed in Dublin died from stab woun... Read More Under the terms of his bail Mr Heising is required to sign on twice weekly at Anglesea Street Garda station in Cork city. He also has to reside at his home in Summerhill South. Sgt Aisling Murphy applied for a six week remand in the case. Mr Heising was remanded on bail to appear before Cork District Court on July 25th next for DPP directions. Judge Dorgan told him to refrain from using intoxicants in the intervening period. No details were given as to the particulars of the damage caused to the constituency office.
Telegraph
an hour ago
- Telegraph
80-year-old murderer handed third life sentence for prison stabbing
An elderly convicted killer who slit another prisoner's throat in a revenge attack has been handed his third life sentence. Brian Wade, 80, told a judge he was 'quite happy' to receive another maximum sentence and was 'too old to worry about it' as he accepted that he would die in jail. Wade was serving a life sentence for the manslaughter of a young man in 1998 when he attacked fellow inmate Robert Kendrick. He cut his throat with an 'improvised shank' made from a matchstick cutter. Kendrick, 40, was airlifted to hospital but survived. Wade denied attempted murder but admitted wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm, stating he wanted to leave a mark 'for him to remember me by'. Judge William Mousley KC said Wade was 'clearly a dangerous offender, even at the age of 80'. Previous convictions Simon Jones, prosecuting, said: 'He has a number of previous convictions for serious violence – a grievous bodily harm in 1965, a life sentence for murder in 1966, a section 18 wounding with intent in 1972 and a life sentence for manslaughter in 1998. 'That sentence is the one he was serving at the time of this offence.' His first killing is believed to have been a neighbour called Edwin Cardwell, 21, in Rotherham, South Yorks, whom he bludgeoned to death with a sledgehammer. The 1998 killing is thought to be Johnathan Abell, a 22-year-old in Nottingham whom Wade killed with a machete and a knife before handing himself in to police. Relationship had turned sexual The court heard that Wade and Kendrick had known each other for about 10 months at the time of the attack at HMP Guys Marsh in Shaftesbury, Dorset, on Oct 28 2022. Kendrick said they had 'bonded' over their mutual love of art and their relationship had turned sexual at one point for about two months. But by October Kendrick was in a relationship with someone else and he told the other prisoner about the previous relationship with Wade. Wade lured Kendrick to his cell. Once there, he tied his hands and feet with shoe laces before cutting his throat with three deliberate movements. The wound came within a centimetre of a main vein in the neck. Mr Jones read a victim impact statement from Kendrick, who has since been released from prison. He said: 'I suffer awful night terrors and replay the incident in my mind. I see Brian on top of me slitting my throat while I lay in a pool of my blood, Brian giggling to himself and rubbing his hands together.' Wade, who represented himself, wrote a letter to the judge before the sentencing hearing to explain the motivation for the attack. He wrote: 'He put a mark on my name and good reputation so I put a mark on his neck as a reminder of what he had done.' Wade told Bournemouth Crown Court: 'I'm quite happy with a life sentence. I'm too old to be worrying about these things, I place myself at your mercy. I will die here in prison, which is fine by me.' Judge Mousley gave Wade another life sentence with a minimum term of 10 and a half years before he can be considered for parole. The court heard that Wade's letter also said that he knew who had stolen his watch and had 'now marked time on him'. The judge asked for the prison to be notified about this threat.
