Bedfordshire woman who used daughter's blue badge to skip £2 parking ticket hit with £1,000 bill

A woman who used her daughter's blue badge to avoid a £2 parking ticket has been hit with a bill for nearly £1,000 after being taken to court.

Nasharie Oluwa, 35, used the badge to go shopping while her six-year-old daughter was at school, though she initially tried to claim that the youngster was with her at the time.

After checks with the school uncovered the truth, Oluwa, 35, of Great Denham in Bedfordshire, pleaded guilty to one offence of misusing a blue badge.

She was ordered to pay a fine of £217, costs of £675, and a victim surcharge of £87 - a total of £979 - by Luton Magistrates’ Court.

Oluwa had parked her Mercedes A Class in Greyfriars car park in Bedford on Friday, 26 May 2023.

In interviews, Oluwa said that she had used her daughter’s blue badge as she had no money to pay for parking. 

The charge for parking at that time was £2, which could be paid via cash, credit/debit card, app, mobile phone or text, said Bedford Borough Council.

A council spokesperson said: “We take the misuse of blue badges extremely seriously.

"They are vital for helping people with disabilities or health conditions park closer to their destination - misusing a blue badge could mean you’re taking the parking space of a disabled person who truly needs it.

“By misusing the Blue Badge on this occasion, to avoid paying for £2 parking, Mrs Oluwa now has a criminal record and has been ordered to pay £979."

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