By Benson Daniel
London Mayor Sadiq Khan has been cleared of a conviction for failing to tax a Nissan Micra after the case was withdrawn following revelations that the vehicle had been fraudulently registered in his name.
The conviction was overturned at Hereford Justice Centre after the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency requested that the prosecution be withdrawn. Khan had initially been found guilty in his absence under the Single Justice Procedure, a fast track system used to deal with less serious offences.
The case involved a 24 year old blue Nissan Micra that was first registered in 2002. Khan was ordered to pay a £220 fine, £85 in legal costs and £35.84 in unpaid vehicle tax.
However, officials at City Hall later established that the vehicle did not belong to Khan and was not connected to Transport for London, which he oversees as mayor.
His office described the incident as a scam and said it was not the first time people had falsely claimed that Khan owned vehicles. The matter is now being investigated by the DVLA to determine how the false registration occurred.
The controversy has also raised questions about how the original prosecution was allowed to proceed without Khan being aware of the case.
Court documents showed that correspondence concerning the vehicle was sent to an incorrect address. Letters intended for Khan were reportedly delivered to a nearby building housing a restaurant operated by celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay rather than the relevant Transport for London offices.
Because the Single Justice Procedure generally handles cases without requiring the defendant to appear in court, Khan was convicted before the issue came to his attention.
The case has renewed scrutiny of the fast track system, which has faced criticism over the handling of large numbers of minor prosecutions with limited opportunities for defendants to challenge allegations before convictions are issued.
The incident also comes against the backdrop of the political controversy surrounding Khan’s expansion of London’s Ultra Low Emission Zone.
The ULEZ was expanded across Greater London in 2023, triggering strong opposition from some motorists and campaign groups. Following the expansion, there were claims that opponents had threatened to register vehicles in Khan’s name in an attempt to make him responsible for charges or penalties associated with those vehicles.
City Hall has indicated that the latest case may be connected to that wider pattern of fraudulent registrations, although the precise circumstances remain under investigation.
The withdrawal means Khan no longer faces the financial penalties imposed following the original conviction. More importantly, the decision confirms that the mayor was not responsible for the untaxed vehicle at the centre of the case.
The episode has nevertheless highlighted the potential consequences of fraudulent vehicle registrations and the difficulties that can arise when official correspondence fails to reach the person it concerns.
For Khan, the case has ended with the conviction withdrawn. For the authorities, the remaining question is how a vehicle he did not own became associated with his identity in the first place.
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