A man caught using his dead mother’s Blue Badge to park for free in central London claimed she was still alive and nearby in her wheelchair.
Ihab Barsoum is one of five fraudsters described as “beneath contempt but not beyond prosecution” after they received fines totalling £3,000 in a Westminster crackdown.
Blue Badges are given to disabled people or carers entitling them to free parking for as long as they need it closer to their destination.
The criminal offence of using a stolen badge or when the owner is not a passenger is punishable by up to two years’ imprisonment and an unlimited fine.
First to be named and shamed, Barsoum’s blue Honda Civic was parked up near mansions in Belgrave Square with his deceased mother’s badge on display in the windscreen.
A Westminster City Council investigator asked to inspect it but Barsoum claimed she was around the corner in a wheelchair before walking off towards Belgravia.
However, the parking marshal didn’t believe him and looked up details on a database.
He spoke to his sister who explained that their mother had passed away some time ago.
She confirmed Barsoum, of Oldfield Lane South, Greenford, was her brother and when later interviewed under caution, he returned the badge.
At the same Westminster Magistrates’ Court hearing last Wednesday, Mohammed Hussain, 42, also pleaded guilty to an offence of fraud by false representation.
He illegally parked his white VW Tiguan on North Row, Mayfair on February 25 last year.
Hussain, of Park Road, Chiswick, admitted using a disabled badge belonging to his deceased mother that had been issued by Hounslow council.
Also appearing before JPs was Daniele Sinis, 40, who used a stolen one to park his silver BMW 3 Series free of charge in a disabled bay near St Mary’s Hospital on Winsland Street, Paddington.
Enquiries established that the badge had been cancelled by Tower Hamlets council due to its reported theft.
Sinis, of Beryl Avenue, Beckton, confirmed that he had obtained it from a friend.
Aisa Magsoudi, 21, parked a white Mercedes GLA in disabled bays on Belgrave Square while at work in the capital.
She pleaded guilty to using a stolen Islington council badge between October 16, 2023 and September 16 last year.
In interview Magsoudi, of Kingsway, North Finchley, claimed it belonged to a fellow worker but could only remember their first name and telephone number.
Her employer had no record of such person. She was given an absolute discharge.
Shakel Ahmed, of Churchill Gardens, Pimlico, accused of using a stolen disabled badge on Frith Street, Soho, had his case adjourned until April 16, a council spokesman said.
All items have been seized to prevent further use.
Councillor Max Sullivan, Westminster’s cabinet member for streets, said: “The Blue Badge scheme is designed for people with disabilities in Westminster, or those who care for them, to make it easier to use on-street parking closer to their destination.
“It is a criminal offence to misuse a Blue Badge. Some drivers abuse a Blue Badge to get free parking in our city and deprive genuine users in the process. They are beneath contempt but not beyond prosecution.
“I am pleased that the council’s enforcement action has resulted in hefty fines.
“May this serve as a warning that we will not hesitate to pursue criminal drivers who operate in our city.
“Thank you to our hard-working parking marshals for catching these criminals in the act.”
