Ipswich man Nurul Rahman abused blue badge issued by West Sussex County Council, Suffolk Magistrates’ Court told

An Ipswich man abused the use of a blue badge issued in West Sussex, a court has heard.

Nurul Rahman, of Kelvin Road, yesterday pleaded guilty at Suffolk Magistrates’ Court, in Ipswich, to wrongful display of a blue badge .

The court was told that on October 19, Suffolk County Council (SCC) and Ipswich Borough Council jointly carried out an enforcement day to enforce proper use of blue badges.

It was during this day of action officers came across Rahman, who was parked in King Street.

His blue badge was issued by West Sussex County Council to a hospice.

The court heard Rahman told officers he worked for the hospice, which he said also operated in Ipswich, and was there to drop off a disabled person in town.

Enforcement officers thought this was unusual and an investigation was launched by Suffolk County Council’s fraud service.

After some digging, they found the hospice in question did not operate in Suffolk.

Furthermore, there was no link to Rahman and the service did not support children.

The hospice was also unaware the blue badge was being used in Suffolk, the court was told.

Magistrates ordered Rahman to pay £153, £1,000 in legal costs plus a victim surcharge of £61.

Georgia Chimbani, the ocounty council’s director of adult social services, said the authority worked closely with district councils to tackle blue badge misuse.

She said Rahman’s prosecution sent a clear message that it would not be tolerated in Suffolk.

“This is not a victimless crime,” she said.

“Illegally using a badge that isn’t yours is denying a disabled parking space to those who have a genuine need for them.”