In a troubling case that highlights the flaws in the UK’s Single Justice Procedure, a 77-year-old man suffering from severe dementia has been convicted for failing to insure a car he is no longer able to drive. The pensioner, whose identity has not been disclosed, was diagnosed with dementia in December 2024 and stopped using his Peugeot vehicle the same month.
Court documents indicate that the man is “confused much of the time” and incapable of managing his own affairs. Tragically, he reportedly has no memory of receiving a fine from the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) in August 2025 regarding the uninsured vehicle. It was only when the DVLA opted to bring a criminal prosecution earlier this month that the man’s brother was alerted to the escalating issue.
In a letter to the court, the brother detailed the circumstances behind the unpaid bill, explaining that the man’s dementia had become “prevalent” in late 2024 and that he had been advised not to drive from that point onwards. The brother also stated that he had arranged for the vehicle to have a new MOT in the spring of 2025, as he had planned to purchase it from his sibling.
However, the brother’s plea fell on deaf ears, as the magistrate sitting in Derby still convicted the man last Thursday of keeping a motor vehicle that did not meet insurance requirements. This conviction was made through the Single Justice Procedure, a fast-track court process that allows magistrates to deal with low-level criminal cases privately and rapidly.
The design of the SJP system, which was introduced as a cost-cutting measure in 2015, means that prosecutors such as the DVLA do not see mitigation letters from defendants when they are submitted to the court. Consequently, opportunities to withdraw cases that are no longer in the public interest are regularly missed.
In this case, the DVLA sent out a fine notice to the pensioner last August and then moved to prosecution when the penalty was not paid. Magistrate Louise Hammond accepted a guilty plea entered on the man’s behalf by his brother and decided to impose a six-month conditional discharge rather than a fine.
The Single Justice Procedure is currently under review by the Labour Government, thanks to complaints that it is overly secretive and a growing body of evidence that vulnerable people, sick pensioners, and hospital patients are being unfairly convicted. The Magistrates’ Association, the body that represents magistrates across England and Wales, said nearly two years ago that the system is in need of major reform, recommending a series of changes, including a requirement for prosecutors to look at mitigation letters before cases go to court.
The DVLA itself agrees with the idea and told ministers last spring that it would support such a change. 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.
In a statement, the DVLA said it urges anyone who receives a letter about enforcement action “to get in touch with us if there are mitigating circumstances we need to know about.” The agency added that it brings prosecutions when efforts to make contact and settle matters out of court have been unsuccessful.
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. This case serves as a stark reminder of the need for urgent reform of the Single Justice Procedure to ensure that vulnerable individuals are not unfairly targeted and convicted.
