Mum and son Blue Badge fraudsters exposed as liars as CCTV proves illegal Portsmouth parking

Disabled fraudster Sharon Morse, 52, made repeated denials of wrongdoing by her son Barry Morse after he was caught parking her Vauxhall Corsa illegally without her present.

The Buckinghamshire mum, who had – it later transpired – never been to Portsmouth, dug her heels in and even appealed enforcement action.

That had followed threats to a city council enforcement officer. 'I will report you…I've done nothing illegal,’ she said.

Morse junior then added: 'There's nothing underhand here.’

However, the pair, both of Spindle Mews, Buckingham, were later ousted for their bare-faced lies with CCTV proving the case.

Portsmouth Magistrates’ Court heard how Morse junior was busted for parking in a pay and display car park in Alec Rose Lane over the weekend of April 25/26 last year.

When confronted by an enforcement officer amid suspicions the badge did not belong to the vehicle owner, Barry Morse claimed he was ‘just going to pick up his mum’.

Sharon Morse was then called and continued the lie saying she had ‘parked the vehicle in Portsmouth’ but was ‘taken ill so returned home alone without the car’ before her son had come to collect it for her, the enforcement officer said in a statement read out to court.

The badge was retained by the officer.

Sharon Morse subsequently appealed the penalty notice. She said: ‘In no way would I intentionally or unintentionally abuse a lifeline. I was involved in the journey that brought my son to Portsmouth.’

She went on to sign a driver declaration that she had parked the car.

But it was all a pack of lies.

CCTV footage from Friday April 23 revealed ‘two adult males exit from the vehicle and walk towards the University of Portsmouth halls of residence in Greetham Street’.

The following day the males return around 5.30pm and leave before returning two hours later.

Barry Morse then returns to the car a day later.

‘The CCTV footage clearly shows the defendant Mrs Morse was not in the vehicle at any point during the parking activity throughout the weekend. The driver of the vehicle on each occasion was Barry Morse and an unknown male passenger,’ the officer said.

When Sharon Morse was interviewed she kept up the lie, saying 'I was the one who drove the car to Portsmouth initially'.

But when CCTV was shown to Morse ‘highlighting she had not been in the vehicle at any point over the weekend’ she changed her tune.

Asked if she had told the truth, the mum said: ‘I didn't, I wasn’t telling the truth.’

She said ‘I've never been to Portsmouth’ before adding she was ‘trying to stop her son getting into trouble’.

An email from Barry Morse revealed his guilt after he admitting using his mother's car to visit friends in Portsmouth and was ‘unaware it was an offence to use the badge without her’.

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Sharon Morse, who admitted two counts of fraud by false representation, was slapped with a fine of £274 and told to pay £689 costs to the council.

Barry Morse, who admitted misusing his mother’s Blue Badge, was fined £190 and told to pay £190 costs.