Woman convicted by secret court for not paying car tax during cancer treatment
A woman has been convicted by a secret court for failing to pay her car tax while undergoing life-saving cancer treatment.
The 53-year-old from Newmarket was prosecuted by the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) in a secretive, fast-tracked Single Justice Procedure (SJP) hearing.
The tax for the woman's Vauxhall expired shortly after she was diagnosed with breast cancer, court documents show, and went unpaid while she underwent treatment, the London Standard reported.
'I was diagnosed with stage 3 breast cancer in June 2024,' she wrote in a mitigation letter to the court.
'This was followed by surgery to remove my breast and lymph nodes followed by six months of chemotherapy and radiotherapy.
'During my cancer treatment, I forgot to tax my car and I am very sorry for this.'
Despite her circumstances, the case was not withdrawn and proceeded to the magistrate.
DVLA accused of pursuing unnecessary cases
There is currently no legal requirement for prosecutors to check mitigation letters, even if they contain details indicating that a case is no longer in the public interest.
The woman made two payments of £80, in February and May, and she entered a guilty plea to the charge of keeping an unlicensed vehicle.
A magistrate in Northumberland, some 271 miles from Newmarket, who ruled on the SJP case, spared the woman the fine. However, she was still ordered to pay £47.50 in compensation and now has a conviction against her name.
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