A 77-year-old man with severe dementia has been found guilty of keeping an uninsured car through a controversial fast-track court system.
The pensioner stopped driving his Peugeot in December 2024 after receiving a his diagnosis.
Court documents reveal he is now “confused much of the time” and cannot manage his own affairs.
He has no memory of receiving a DVLA fine regarding the uninsured vehicle last August.
His brother learned of the prosecution earlier this month and wrote to the court explaining the situation.
Despite the letter, a magistrate in Derby convicted the man last Thursday.
“(He) is a 77-year-old pensioner who is suffering from severe dementia,” the brother wrote. “His illness became prevalent in the latter part of 2024.”
“He was officially diagnosed in December 2024. He was advised not to drive from then on.”
“The severity of his dementia causes memory loss resulting in him being confused much of the time,” the brother continued.
“He is now incapable of managing his affairs to any degree and therefore I have only just become aware of this issue.”
PICTURED: Derby Combined Courts Centre. The 77-year-old was convicted through the SJP by Derby magistrates
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“(He) has no recollection of receiving any letters regarding this.”
The brother is currently seeking Power of Attorney to handle the pensioner’s affairs.
The case was prosecuted under the Single Justice Procedure, a system introduced in 2015 to cut costs.
Under this process, magistrates sit privately to handle low-level criminal matters quickly.
A key flaw exists in the system’s design: prosecutors such as the DVLA do not see letters submitted by defendants to the court.
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This means opportunities to withdraw cases that are no longer in the public interest are frequently missed.
The pensioner was charged for having no insurance on his vehicle on 12 August last year.
The DVLA issued a fine notice that month and pursued prosecution when payment was not received.
Magistrate Louise Hammond accepted a guilty plea entered by the brother and imposed a six-month conditional discharge.
The Single Justice Procedure is currently being reviewed by the Labour Government.
Complaints about excessive secrecy and evidence of vulnerable people being unfairly convicted have prompted this scrutiny.
Nearly two years ago, the Magistrates’ Association called for major reforms.
The body recommended that prosecutors should be required to review mitigation letters before cases proceed to court, and the DVLA has told ministers it would support such a change.
The Government says it continues to assess responses to a consultation on possible changes that concluded in May 2025.