Portsmouth council worker punished for using disabled husband's Blue Badge while she went shopping at Iceland

Portsmouth City Council worker Karen Standen, 61, was caught using her husband’s badge to park a council car in a pay and display area in Stanhope Road on November 7 around 3.30pm.

Standen, of Stubbington Avenue, North End, was spotted by an enforcement officer parking the vehicle before heading off without making any attempt to pay for parking. With suspicions aroused, the officer phoned the number on the badge, which was answered by the defendant who said her husband was with her in Iceland.

But Standen’s story was left in ruins when her husband unwittingly dropped her in it by revealing he was unaware that his wife was using his Blue Badge, Portsmouth Magistrates’ Court heard. Standen continued the lie after ringing back the enforcement officer and leaving a voicemail saying: “(Her husband) is in the toilet at the moment so can't speak on the phone.”

When Standen returned to her Ford Kia car she was confronted by the officer before claiming she had a limp and had “applied for her own disabled badge” - which checks later revealed was a lie.

The defendant, explaining why she failed to purchase a parking ticket, said: “I don’t know how to use those stupid machines and I have no cash on me.”

Asked why she didn’t use a bank card to purchase a parking ticket Standen said “they never work properly” before admitting her crime. When the officer asked if she had deliberately used her husband's badge to obtain free parking Standen said: “That’s correct.” She then added: “I can't walk, I've got a bad leg and I can't walk. I have applied for my own badge.”

At a subsequent interview Standen showed a “very good understanding of the rules of using a disabled badge”, according to the officer and said: “I know I can't use it when I haven’t got (her husband) in the car with me.”

The defendant also explained away her false use of the badge by saying she “wasn’t going to be long”. After being phoned by the officer she said she had “panicked” before adding: “I thought it was a prank call.”

Standen apologised for her conduct and said she had not been “sleeping very well and was stressed”, adding: “I knew what I was doing was wrong, I won't do it again.”

Standen admitted misuse of a disabled badge in court and said: “I'm just sorry, I had a long day and I was really stressed.”

Magistrates issued her with a financial penalty totalling £654.65.

Councillor Gerald Vernon-Jackson, cabinet member for transport, said: “This prosecution supports our aim to clamp down on those who misuse Blue Badges, and show that Portsmouth City Council will not tolerate the abuse of the scheme. 

“While it is unfortunate that a council member of staff has been caught abusing the disabled badge system, we hope that this prosecution shows that we treat all offenders in the same way.”