Parking badge fraudster ordered to pay £1,250

A fraudster who used a dead woman's disabled parking badge has been fined £750.

Charanjeev Singh Virdee, 32, of Harrow, admitted using the badge on which the expiry date had been altered and was also ordered to pay £500 costs by West London magistrates. He dishonestly avoided up to £13,000 a year in parking fees by using the badge he found in the opticians he owns and used it to park in disabled bays close to Ladbroke Grove.

Following a surveillance operation by officers from Kensington and Chelsea council, Virdee was asked whose badge he was using. He claimed it was his aunt's and that he had dropped her off in Portobello Road that morning. Later, in an interview under caution, he admitted he had panicked and lied.