A motorist has been ordered to pay more than £2,200 in fines, costs and compensation, after admitting to posing as a delivery driver to avoid parking fines in Leicester.
James Barford was repeatedly caught parking in loading bays and permit areas between August 2020 and March 2021.
Leicester Magistrates Court heard how the 34-year-old faked six delivery notes in order to challenge the fines incurred for parking in a loading bay near his place of work at Pivotal Retail Marketing Ltd, Rutland Street.
He then produced a further five fake notices to challenge fines issued after he was caught parking in permit-only residential areas on the edge of the city during April 2021, including West Street, Newtown Street, Lancaster Road, Lower Hastings Street and Tower Street.
In all 11 cases he claimed he was making deliveries to nearby businesses and customers.
Leicester City Council brought the charges against Mr Barford following an investigation.
Last week at Leicester Magistrates Court, he pleaded guilty to 11 charges under the Fraud Act, for making the false documents.
The court heard how nine of the delivery notes notes Barford had produced claimed he was making deliveries on behalf of a firm called JB Designs Ltd – but checks revealed no such business was registered with Companies House.
Another fraudulent note was used to claim he was making deliveries to Pivotal Retail Marketing Ltd – but the suppliers confirmed the deliveries were not theirs.
Barford was fined £846, ordered to pay £677 costs, £630 compensation and a victim surcharge of £85 – making a total of over £2,200.
The 11 parking fines would have cost him £70 each – reduced to £35 if paid within 14 days.
“Not only was he trying to avoid paying for parking, but also providing fake invoices to try to dodge paying the parking fines he’d incurred. That is quite simply fraud,” said Cllr Piara Singh Clair, Leicester deputy city mayor.
“The defendant has now had to pay far more money than the fines themselves.”
