Woman with dementia guilty of having no car insurance

A 76-year-old woman with vascular dementia has been convicted of failing to insure a car that she had not driven since 2024.

The son-in-law of the woman from Rickmansworth, Hertfordshire, pleaded guilty on her behalf after she was prosecuted by the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) over a Ford car registered in her name.

A magistrate, sitting in Leicester, found her guilty of keeping a vehicle without valid insurance; however, she was given an absolute discharge, meaning no fine or costs were imposed

In court papers obtained by the Press Association, her son-in-law said "unfortunately" the documents to register a vehicle off the road (SORN) had not been completed.

The case was brought under the fast-track single justice procedure (SJP) court process.

Under this system, prosecutors, such as the DVLA, are not present when the case is heard, and they routinely do not see letters sent in with pleas, even if they contain important information about a defendant's health and mental capacity.

The DVLA has called for SJP reform so that prosecutors can always see mitigation letters before a case is considered in court, to provide an extra check on the public interest in each prosecution.

Last week, retired Court of Appeal judge Sir Brian Leveson - in his independent review of the courts - said he was "supportive of efforts to enhance safeguards for defendants" in the SJP system, backing the idea of greater transparency as well as "ensuring that mitigation is taken into account".

The woman's son-in-law said she receives 24-hour care, had given up driving, and was unable to understand legal documents.

"She still owns the car, but it has been in her garage for over 18 months, and it hasn't been driven", the documents said.

"Her insurance wasn't renewed because she isn't able to drive anymore, but unfortunately, the SORN was not completed.

"We are currently unable to find her V5C and logbook."

In prosecution papers, the DVLA said a fixed penalty fine had been sent to the woman and had not been paid.

Her son-in-law said he only knew of the issue when the SJP notice arrived in the post.

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