DVLA takes stroke victim to court over unpaid £16.67 car tax bill

• A 47-year-old mother from Wolverhampton who was left unable to walk or speak following a stroke has been convicted over an unpaid £16.67 car tax bill after she faced legal action from the DVLA.
• Medical reports submitted to the court explained that the woman had been forced to stop driving and there had been a misunderstanding regarding her annual Sorn declaration.
• The woman was convicted under the controversial Single Justice Procedure at Birmingham Magistrates' Court and ordered to settle the unpaid bill.
• Critics of the fast-track court system note that prosecutors often miss mitigating evidence because letters submitted by defendants are not routinely reviewed before trial.
• High-profile figures including Mayor of London Sadiq Khan have called for reforms to the Single Justice Procedure, which Labour has promised to bring forward shortly.

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