Mr. Bristo, an experienced and skilled investigator recently came across a blue badge misuse case that led to the local council being awarded £2,300.
Having seen a particular vehicle parked and unattended several times displaying a blue disabled badge, it was clear to Mr. Bristo that the person driving and parking it was not the owner of the blue badge. As this was in the pandemic, it was unlikely to be the badge holder.
It’s a criminal offence to use a blue badge fraudulently and you must have the person that the badge belongs to either in the vehicle with you or be picking them up from where the vehicle is parked. Mr. Bristo saw the vehicle park one day, and approached the driver, he was met with some resistance and was told that the person who held the badge was in a clinic around the corner.
Not convinced by this explanation, Mr. Bristo decided to visit the clinic, however there was no evidence that he had indeed been at this clinic either at that time or on any another occasion. Mr. Bristo had also been told that he was at the clinic due to covid testing, but the clinic specialises in other medical areas, which again raised further suspicion.
Because Mr. Bristo had seen this vehicle over a 4-month time and things were not quite adding up, he decided to audit his own investigation information to include further evidence within his statement.
This was a clear case of misuse, and it did end up in court. With Mr. Bristo’s evidence contradicting the defendant’s miss-information he was convicted of several offences and ordered to pay £1,000, instead of the lesser fine he would have received had he been honest from the outset and stopped using his father’s badge fraudulently.
Mr. Bristo’s evidence was robust, not challenged in court and the offence was upheld, leading to a total of £2,300 being awarded to the council.
It is that simple and this is what BBFI do, day in, day out. We are an experienced team of investigators who partner with local authorities to enforce the blue badge scheme, drive compliance, and change behavior. To find out more visit our website or get in touch info@bbfi.org.uk.
