A UK court convicted a dementia patient for an uninsured car she no longer owned, due to an uncompleted SORN, despite her incapacity.

A 76-year-old woman with vascular dementia in Hertfordshire was convicted in a fast-track UK court for not insuring a car she hadn’t driven since 2024 and no longer owned, due to an uncompleted SORN. Her son-in-law provided evidence of her 24-hour care needs and mental incapacity, but the Single Justice Procedure (SJP) system, which lacks in-person prosecution and routine review of mitigation, proceeded without considering this. The court accepted a guilty plea on her behalf and imposed an absolute discharge. The DVLA, which initiated the prosecution after insurance lapsed in 2025, has called for reforms to review such letters before action, amid broader concerns about fairness in SJP cases involving vulnerable individuals.