A conviction against London Mayor Sadiq Khan for failing to tax a vehicle has been withdrawn, with City Hall officials asserting he was the victim of a scam involving false car registrations. The Nissan Micra in question is reported not to belong to Khan or Transport for London (TfL).
Khan, who was convicted under the single justice procedure (SJP), was found guilty last month by a magistrate in Herefordshire of keeping an unlicensed vehicle. The DVLA had brought the prosecution after the annual tax on the 24-year-old Nissan Micra, first registered in 2002, expired in September of the previous year. Court documents indicated that DVLA correspondence regarding the unpaid tax was mistakenly sent to a Gordon Ramsay restaurant instead of nearby TfL offices.
Despite the mix-up, the DVLA reviewed the case and accepted the withdrawal, which is to be formally processed at Hereford Magistrates’ Court. The agency also stated it would investigate the false registration.
A spokesperson for Khan, who was appointed to the House of Lords as Baron Khan of Tooting in July, confirmed the situation. "This is a scam, which is a crime," the spokesperson said. "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. Such behaviour is illegal, and the DVLA are aware."
The SJP, introduced in 2015, allows magistrates to handle low-level criminal cases individually and privately, a system that has drawn criticism as "conveyor belt justice." The procedure is currently under government review, following past issues where thousands of train fare evasion convictions were overturned and children were wrongly convicted. Khan's case highlights concerns about the potential for errors and misuse within the system.
This incident occurs amid ongoing controversy surrounding Khan's transport policies, including the expansion of the Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) and increases to the congestion charge. Some motorists had previously vowed to register vehicles in Khan's name as a protest against the ULEZ expansion, aiming to make him liable for daily charges.