A solicitor has been struck off following repeated instances of using a relative’s blue badge in order to park closer to his place of work.
It is illegal to misuse a blue badge, as well as to allow your blue badge to be misused.
In this case, while it was accepted that the holder of the blue badge had a legitimate need for it, Wahid Nazari had used it while this relative was not present, in order to allow him to park closer to the offices of Carpenters Ltd in West Sussex.
Mr Nazari was convicted of having misused the blue badge on at least eight occasions between June and August 2018 and was convicted at Lewes Crown Court, where he was fined £1,500.
The matter was then referred to the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal , where the sentencing judge said that Mr Nazari had committed the error of ‘being lazy and being idle’.
Mr Nazari represented himself for the two-day tribunal hearing and argued that the offence was unrelated to his professional work. He denied dishonesty but the tribunal found that Mr Nazari’s conduct would be considered dishonest by the standards of ordinary decent people.
If you are being investigated for, or charged with, a blue badge offence, our team can help. Call us for free initial advice on 01623 397200.
