The founder of a luxury café brand has been fined after she was caught using her late-grandfather’s disabled parking badge in Knightsbridge.
Alexandra Miller, the inspiration behind the EL&N chain of cafes, has been prosecuted by Kensington and Chelsea council over the so-called ‘blue badge fraud’ committed in February last year.
She established the EL&N brand in 2017 with venues in Mayfair and Park Lane, attracting customers to the “most Instagrammable café in the world”.
The company now has venues around the world, including in Paris, Milan, Riyadh, and Dubai.
At a hearing at City of London magistrates court last week, the businesswoman pleaded guilty to unlawfully using a disabled person’s badge.
The council said she was “caught by a council officer using a badge belonging to her grandfather, who had passed away in 2021, while parking her car to go to work in February 2022.”
The incident happened in Basil Street, close to Miller’s EL&N café in Hans Crescent, Knightsbridge.
The entrepreneur, who work in fashion before launching her café brand, was fined £650 and ordered to also pay a £65 victim surcharge and costs of £730.
The council said Miller’s prosecution is among 15 cases of blue badge fraud brought to the courts since April last year, leading to £11,472 in fines, costs, and court fees.
Disabled badges are issued to motorists to allow them to park closer to their destination, for improved accessibility.
"Disabled parking is crucial for people to live independently and get around our town centres”, said Councillor Cem Kemahli, Kensington and Chelsea Council’s lead member for planning place and environment.
“We will not tolerate those who attempt to abuse this system for their own advantage, denying those who really need it. It’s just not fair.
“Our officers did a good job to retrieve the blue badges in this case and bring about justice.”
Ms Miller declined to comment on the case when contacted by the Evening Standard, but said: “The matter has been handled and is now closed.”
