An 83-year-old disabled widow from Reading, who has never held a driving licence, was convicted after failing to tax her late husband's car while she was grieving his death. The case, handled through the Single Justice Procedure (SJP) — a fast-track court process criticised for prosecuting elderly and vulnerable people, often without adequate scrutiny of mitigating circumstances — highlights ongoing concerns about how the DVLA and courts deal with vulnerable defendants who fall foul of administrative rules.

The Volkswagen Touran had been transferred into the woman's name in April last year by her daughter's partner, who hoped it could later be used to take her to hospital appointments, but she never drove it and it has since been scrapped. She told Birmingham Magistrates' Court she did not understand her responsibilities as a registered keeper, since her husband, who died in December 2024 after 64 years of marriage, had always handled such matters. Magistrate Dr Stephanie Smith declined to ask the DVLA to reconsider dropping the charge, instead granting an absolute discharge but ordering payment of £242.92 in unpaid tax by mid-September. Sadiq Khan said such cases of injustice damage public confidence in the courts, while the Ministry of Justice has said SJP reform proposals will be announced "shortly".