A man who used a dead woman's Blue Badge to park closer to his hotel on two occasions has been fined.

Ashley Jones, 30, who had previously found the permit on the pavement, used it while parking in Ashford when he visited last summer.

After pleading guilty to Blue Badge fraud, he appeared before Medway Magistrates’ Court earlier this month.

The court heard that the offences happened on August 17 and 18 last year.

The Land Rover he had been driving displayed a badge that belonged to a person reported deceased in August 2022.

Jones was not with his car when a Penalty Charge Notice (PCN) was issued by a Civil Enforcement Officer on both occasions for the vehicle in Drum Lane in the town centre.

The 30-year-old then tried to appeal the PCNs questioning why he had been issued a ticket because none of the signs or the machines say he needed to do anything other than display his Blue Badge.

Kent County Council (KCC), which is the issuing and enforcement authority for Blue Badges in Kent, had been informed by the Civil Enforcement Officer about the multiple misuses of the badge.

Following inquiries made by KCC’s Counter Fraud Team, Jones was invited to respond to an interview under caution where he stated he found the Blue Badge in Bristol on the pavement and thought nothing of it.

Jones, of Passage Road, Bristol, was then brought before magistrates, where he pleaded guilty to fraud by misusing a deceased Disabled Person’s Parking Permit.

He was given a two-year conditional discharge and ordered to pay a £26 victim surcharge and £1,307.11 in costs.

The lead magistrate said that Jones’s good character was now not good, which was a pity.

Dan Watkins, KCC cabinet member for adult social care and public health, said: “People who fraudulently use Blue Badges are selfish and reprehensible.

“They are cheating genuinely disabled people out of parking bays designed specifically for their use to aid their day-to-day mobility and avoid them suffering any additional distress and pain.

“We will continue to work with our district, borough and city councils to crack down on this crime and prosecute anyone caught in the act to the fullest extent of the law.”

Ashford Borough Council cabinet member for climate, environment and transport, Cllr Steve Campkin said: “While out on patrol, our enforcement officers inspect Blue Badges to ensure they are being used correctly and will always follow up if they suspect fraud.

“We hope that this successful prosecution deters others from using Blue Badges fraudulently to the detriment of those who genuinely need them.”