The 77-year-old man as no memory of receiving a fine from the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency and stopped driving in December 2024
A pensioner with severe dementia has been convicted for not insuring the car he is no longer able to drive.
The 77-year-old man, who lives in Middleton, Greater Manchester, stopped using his Peugeot in December 2024 when when he was first diagnosed with dementia. He has been convicted in a controversial fast-track court process in Derby.
He was prosecuted due to not having insurance on his car on August 12 last year.
Court papers show the man is now “confused much of the time” and unable to manage his own affairs, the Press Association reported.
He has no memory of receiving a fine from the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) over the uninsured vehicle in August 2025. The DVLA then moved to a prosecution when the penalty was not paid.
His brother was alerted to the problem when the DVLA brought a criminal prosecution earlier this month. He provided a letter to the court explaining the circumstances behind the unpaid bill, but the letter was not enough to halt the prosecution.
A magistrate in Derby convicted the man last Thursday of keeping a motor vehicle which does not meet insurance requirements.
The prosecution was brought under the Single Justice Procedure (SJP), a fast-track court process in which magistrates sit privately to rapidly deal with low-level criminal cases.
The SJP system was invented as a cost-cutting measure in 2015. The design means that prosecutors such as the DVLA do not see letters from defendants when they are submitted to the court.
Chances to withdraw cases that are no longer in the public interest are regularly missed.
The Government says it is aware of concerns around the Single Justice Procedure and continues to assess responses to a consultation on possible changes which concluded in May 2025.
“(He) is a 77-year-old pensioner who is suffering from severe dementia,” the brother wrote.
“He was officially diagnosed in December 2024. He was advised not to drive from then on.”
The brother said that around the Spring of 2025, it was agreed that he would purchase the vehicle from the pensioner and had arranged for the vehicle to have a new MOT.
The pensioner did not drive at all in 2025, but wrongly told a doctor during one of his medical assessments that he “is still driving”.
“The severity of his dementia causes memory loss resulting in him being confused much of the time,” the brother said.
“He is now incapable of managing his affairs to any degree and therefore I have only just become aware of this issue.”
“(He) has no recollection of receiving any letters regarding this.”
The brother said he is seeking to obtain Power of Attorney to enable him to handle the pensioner’s affairs.
Magistrate Louise Hammond accepted a guilty plea entered on his behalf from his brother and imposed a six-month conditional discharge rather than a fine.
Even though a guilty plea was entered and accepted by the court, it is open to the DVLA to apply to the court to reopen the case.
