A mum who cried as she was told to remove her "offensive" number plate said she just wanted to make people smile.
Toni Brand bought the number plate to "spread cheer" following the death of her son Ricky, who took his own life at the age of 21. But the 47-year-old said she was forced to remove the registration plate of her white Volkswagen Scirocco for displaying the words "SL*T HO".
Toni, of Tredegar in Blaenau Gwent, has since been ordered by a court to pay £344 after a police officer noticed her number plate, Wales Online reports. Toni believes "95% of the population" would not be offended by the joke and said the reaction from other drivers has been "amazing".
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Toni Brand said she realised life is short following the death of her "amazing" son Ricky, adding: "Through his death I have learned to live and I have learned to smile and giggle."
Ricky died in 2019 at the age of 21, weeks after the deaths of two of his friends. The "brilliant dad" took his own life minutes after playing and dancing with his six-month-old son, his inquest heard.
Toni said: "He was just an average 21-year-old, working as a builder and doing well. He liked being out and being with people. A lot of builders feel they have to act hard and be masculine. That's where it's all wrong. Men are allowed to cry."
The full-time mum, who has twin sons aged 13 and a 16-year-old daughter, still feels "raw" from losing Ricky but added: "It's taught my family so much — to be strong, to live life, to smile and say hello to people, to spread cheer. And that's why I bought the plate. It brought me joy every time I walked out the the front door. Life is short and I'm not going to die unhappy."
The inspiration for the number plate came after Toni saw a wedding car with a plate featuring the word "TART". She said: "I went on the DVLA website and was messing about, typing in loads of different things. When I saw the SL*T HO one, it was one of those things I had to have."
Toni said she spent around £487 on the SL11 THO plates on top of an £80 fee to register them. She said a garage charged her around £20 to fix an extra screw in the middle of the "11" on both plates, to give the appearance of a "U". Toni recalls the workers having a "giggle" when she made the request.
She said: "I've had it since around last Christmas. Everyone has been smiling and beeping at me. My kids wave out the window. I'll be driving along and people will go, 'I love your number plate.'
"One woman said her daughter can't wait to see it on the school run each day."
Toni was driving along Nantgarw Hill on March 28 when a police officer stopped her. She said: "It is quite a scary thing. He asked if I knew why he pulled me over and I was like, 'I have no idea.' The plate was normal to me at that point.
"I'm at the side of the road panicking because I've never been in trouble before. I pay my bills and do as I'm told.
"He gave me a screwdriver and made me undo the screws at the front and back, which was hard to do. It was grown men who put the screws in, not me. I was struggling and crying. I said to the officer, 'Can you help me?' And he was like 'no'.
"I'm on my bum, my feet are under the car, I'm staring at his big black boots next to me. I'm crying my eyes out. He waited there for 40 minutes for me to finish."
Soon afterwards Toni moved home. Although she said she immediately notified the DVLA and her car insurance company, she claims a letter from Cardiff Magistrates' Court was sent to her old address. On July 25 she was found guilty of breaching vehicle regulations with the message, which the police officer described in his report as "offensive".
Toni was sentenced to a £220 fine, £34 victim services surcharge and £90 in prosecution costs — but she said she only found this out through media coverage. Toni, who ran a nail salon before the covid pandemic led to its closure, complained to the court that she had not known about the hearing.
She understands a new hearing is set to be scheduled by November. "I am going to hold my hands up and say I did buy the plate, but I want to have my voice heard. I have a right to go to court and that right was taken from me."
Since Ricky's death Toni has done a series of charity walks on routes such as Pen y Fan to raise money for men's mental health causes. "Men don't talk," she said. "I want to spread the message that it's OK to feel like c**p but people are here for you. When you're down, come to us and we'll be there for you."
Anyone, no matter your age, can contact Samaritans free any time from any phone on 116 123, even a mobile without credit. You can also email jo@samaritans.org or visit the website.
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