London Mayor Sadiq Khan convicted over untaxed Nissan Micra he says he doesn't own

The DVLA says it will withdraw a criminal conviction against Mayor of London Sir Sadiq Khan for failing to tax a 2002 Nissan Micra not registered to him.

DVLA to withdraw conviction against Khan over Nissan Micra he denies owning

The DVLA has confirmed it will withdraw a criminal prosecution against the Mayor of London, Sir Sadiq Khan, after he was convicted in absentia of failing to tax a 24-year-old Nissan Micra that City Hall says does not belong to him, BBC News reports.

Khan, 55, was found guilty of keeping an unlicensed vehicle by a magistrate last month under the Single Justice Procedure — a private hearing held in Herefordshire. The court ordered him to pay a £220 fine, £85 in costs, and settle an outstanding tax bill of £35.84 on the vehicle, which was first registered in 2002.

Court records show the annual tax on the blue Nissan Micra lapsed in September last year. The DVLA said the car was spotted untaxed on 24 January, and that Khan's name and date of birth appeared against the vehicle on official government records. A letter requesting confirmation of the owner's identity was sent to the wrong address and went unanswered. A criminal prosecution followed on 18 August after no plea was entered.

The conviction notice — and an order to pay the £340.84 court bill within 28 days or face bailiffs or "a warrant for your arrest to bring you to court" — was sent to a Gordon Ramsay restaurant in east London. Letters about the unpaid tax had also been directed there rather than to the mayor's office.

A spokesperson for Khan said: "This is a scam, which is a crime. 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."

The mayor's adviser told BBC London the DVLA had been "urgently" looking into reopening the case and withdrawing the prosecution. The DVLA confirmed the withdrawal had been accepted, but said the case must be formally reopened at a hearing at Hereford Magistrates' Court on Thursday before it can be set aside. The agency said it would also investigate the false registration.

The conviction comes against the backdrop of sustained opposition to Khan's expansion of the Ultra Low Emission Zone (Ulez) to cover the whole of Greater London. Following that decision, a number of motorists publicly stated they intended to register vehicles in Khan's name — a move reportedly aimed at making him liable for the £12.50 daily Ulez charge.

Defendants convicted in their absence in England and Wales can apply to have a case reopened by making a statutory declaration before a judge, typically in person. Khan could argue he was unaware of the proceedings because all court correspondence was directed to the wrong address.

Source: BBC News