Guildford Blue Badge fraudster claimed he was on Portsmouth shopping trip to Gunwharf Quays with mum - even though she was dead

Jason Minoo said he thought he would ‘get away with’ using his mum’s Blue Badge when he was busted parking his Volkswagen at the shopping centre’s Harbour Car Park on April 13. But the 53-year-old’s deceit landed him an appearance at Portsmouth Magistrates’ Court.

Minoo parked in a pay and display car park displaying the badge to his dead mum Valerie Minoo who died in August 2020. He then spun a series of lies to Portsmouth City Council enforcement officers whose checks revealed the badge had been cancelled. But Minoo, an electrician, stuck to his guns and said he was shopping with his mum before then claiming she was on a train when he was served a parking charge notice.

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‘The officer observed the defendant return to the vehicle unaccompanied. The defendant was asked to produce the disabled badge displayed in his vehicle for inspection,’ enforcement officer James Eaton said in a statement read out to court. ‘The defendant complied with the officer's request and handed over the disabled badge, stating it belonged to his mother and that they had both been shopping together in Portsmouth.’

Amid further questioning from senior civil enforcement officer Billy-Joe Dolton, who had arrived on scene, Minoo was asked: ‘Can you confirm where the badge holder is at the moment for me?’ The defendant replied: ‘On the train to London.’

Minoo was then asked: 'Can you explain why the records show your mum is deceased?' Minoo was forced to admit his bare-faced lies. ‘The defendant admitted that his mother was not on the train to London and was in fact dead,’ Mr Dolton said.

When asked to explain why he had used the disabled badge to avoid payment he replied: ‘Because I thought I'd get away with it.' He then went on to give admissions to having misused the badge on numerous occasions.

Asked to explain why his mum’s badge was in his vehicle, Minoo said: 'I thought that I could use it. But I got caught.’

In a letter to the council in June, Minoo admitted the error of his ways, saying: ‘I made an error of judgement. I was wrong and regret what I did.’

In court, he admitted a charge of knowingly displaying a deceased person’s badge but appeared to backtrack on his remorse. ‘In my opinion I shouldn’t be here, it's completely unjustified and unnecessary for the council to bring me to court. That’s just me though. I think the council have wasted my time, and your time,’ he told magistrates.

Minoo, of Juniper Close, Guildford, was then told to cough up £833 – including nearly £450 for costs and a £350 fine. He was told by the presiding magistrate: ‘We feel that you deliberately acted in a way to deceive and defraud the council and we believe that it is wholly right that you should face a fine and pay all of the council's costs in bringing you to court.’