London Mayor Lord Sadiq Khan says he has fallen victim to a scam after a court convicted him over an untaxed Nissan Micra. The 55-year-old Labour politician was prosecuted last month by the DVLA for keeping an unlicensed vehicle.
He later received a £220 fine after the case went through a fast-track court process in Herefordshire. However, Khan’s office says the vehicle never belonged to him and was wrongly registered in his name.
A spokesperson for the mayor strongly rejected the conviction on Wednesday and said Khan was the victim in the case.
“This is a scam, which is a crime,” the spokesperson said.
“It’s not the first time the mayor has been victim of a scam involving people falsely stating that Sadiq is the owner of a vehicle.
“Such behaviour is illegal, and the DVLA are aware.”
The DVLA is now investigating the circumstances surrounding the prosecution. Meanwhile, efforts are reportedly underway to reopen the case urgently.
How did the vehicle end up registered to Khan?
The case centres on a blue Nissan Micra that was first registered in 2002. According to court records, the vehicle’s annual tax expired in September last year.
The DVLA later identified Khan as the keeper after the Micra was found untaxed on January 24. The agency said Khan’s name and date of birth appeared against the vehicle in official government records.
The DVLA also sent a letter seeking confirmation about the identity of the vehicle’s owner. However, the letter went unanswered in January, eventually leading to the criminal prosecution.
Khan’s office maintains that he was never the owner of the Micra and had no connection with the vehicle.
Online records now show that the Nissan Micra was taxed again in February this year.
Wrong address adds another twist
The case took another unexpected turn when court documents revealed where the DVLA sent its letters.
The letters addressed to Khan concerning the unpaid vehicle tax were sent to 9 Endeavour Square in east London.
That address is only a short distance from Transport for London’s offices at 5 Endeavour Square in Stratford.
Khan serves as the chairman of TfL as part of his role as London mayor.
However, the DVLA letters did not reach the TfL offices.
Instead, they were sent to a building where Gordon Ramsay’s Bread Street Kitchen, Bar & Rooftop occupies the top floor.
The restaurant is located at 9 Endeavour Square, around a two-minute walk from the TfL headquarters.
The incorrect address could become important if Khan seeks to overturn the conviction.
He could argue that he did not know about the proceedings because the relevant letters went to the wrong building.
Khan was convicted after no plea was entered
Magistrate Surinder Gidda, sitting at Herefordshire Magistrates’ Court, convicted Khan on August 18.
No plea had been entered on his behalf before the conviction.
The court ordered him to pay a £220 fine, along with £85 in costs.
He was also told to settle the £35.84 outstanding tax bill linked to the Micra.
The total court bill came to £340.84.
The court also sent the record of conviction to the Gordon Ramsay restaurant.
Khan was ordered to pay the amount within 28 days.
Failure to pay could result in increased fines, enforcement action, or even “a warrant for your arrest to bring you to court”.
The circumstances have therefore raised questions about how the case progressed without Khan becoming aware of it.
What is the Single Justice Procedure?
The prosecution was brought through the Single Justice Procedure.
The system was introduced in 2015 to provide a cheaper way of dealing with low-level criminal cases.
Under the procedure, magistrates can handle certain cases privately without requiring defendants to appear in court.
However, critics have described the system as “conveyor belt justice” because cases can move through the process quickly.
The government is currently reviewing the procedure following several controversies.
Those cases have included children being unlawfully prosecuted.
They have also included sick pensioners receiving criminal convictions over unpaid household bills while they were in hospital.
Khan’s case has now brought fresh attention to the process.
DVLA investigates as efforts begin to reopen case
The DVLA has confirmed that it is investigating the circumstances surrounding Khan’s prosecution.
At the same time, efforts are being made to reopen the case urgently and overturn the conviction.
Defendants who believe they were wrongly convicted in their absence can seek to have a case reopened.
Typically, this involves appearing before a judge and making a statutory declaration.
Khan could argue that he had no knowledge of the proceedings because the DVLA sent the correspondence to the wrong address.
If the case is reopened, Khan could then seek to have the prosecution withdrawn.
That could happen if it is established that he was wrongly identified as the vehicle’s keeper.
Alternatively, he could enter a not guilty plea and contest the charge.
The DVLA could also apply directly to the court to have the case reopened.
The controversy follows earlier disputes over vehicle registration
The mayor’s office says this is not the first incident involving people falsely claiming that Khan owns a vehicle.
The issue also follows controversy surrounding his expansion of London’s Ultra Low Emission Zone, commonly known as Ulez.
After Khan expanded Ulez across the whole of London, he faced protests from motorists opposing the policy.
Some motorists said they planned to register their vehicles in the mayor’s name.
The apparent aim was to make Khan responsible for the £12.50 daily Ulez charge.
His office now says the latest case is another example of people falsely associating vehicles with him.
For now, the DVLA investigation could determine whether the conviction remains in place.
If the case is reopened, Khan may have an opportunity to formally challenge the charge.
The latest developments leave one central question hanging: how did an untaxed 24-year-old Nissan Micra become legally linked to London’s mayor in the first place?
