SEVEN PEOPLE, including four of Turkish origin, were ordered pay out more than £2,800 after Enfield Council prosecuted them for blue badge fraud.
The seven were ordered to pay fines, victim surcharges and costs worth £2,810.52 at Tottenham Magistrates Court on Thursday 20 February after they were caught by Enfield Council and the Metropolitan Police parking illegally by using a disabled person’s blue badge while the badge holder was not in the car.
Enfield Council’s Cabinet Member for Environment, Cllr Chris Bond, said: “Misusing a person’s blue badge is just about the most despicable fraud I can think of and the people we have successfully prosecuted for this crime deserve everything they’ve got.
“Blue badges are designed to make life easier for chronically ill and disabled people, they don’t exist so that able bodied people can con everybody and park wherever they like completely free of charge. These people are a complete disgrace and should be utterly ashamed of themselves.”
Enfield Council’s Cabinet Member for Finance and Property, Cllr Andrew Stafford, said: “I’m delighted we’ve been able to bring these people to justice and sent out a strong message that we deal firmly with all types of fraud in Enfield.
“We will not tolerate criminal behaviour in this borough and we’ll continue to carefully monitor blue badge use to prevent misuse and ensure the people who are entitled to use them can do so, safe in the knowledge that they are not being misused by others.”
Bülent Garip of Mount Pleasant Road, N17 and Cetim Mitoğlu of Bullier Road, N17, separately admitted parking and displaying a blue badge without the badge holder present on Fore Street, Edmonton, on 22 October last year. They were fined £40, ordered to pay £250 costs and a £20 victim surcharge.
Also fined was Candan Beyazkaya, of The Ride, Enfield, and Hüseyin Polat of Haselbury Road, N9.
