Plan B Forum

A motorist who forged a parking permit so he could leave his car outside his own home has become the first in Britain to be jailed for the offence.




Mark Rouse, who dodged paying for a permit for up to six months, has been jailed for 16 weeks for making the fake copy of a temporary permit he was given.

The 48-year-old - who saved just £160 through the scam - was issued the permit by Portsmouth City Council when he moved to a £140,000 terraced house on a road in Southsea, Hampshire.

When it expired after six weeks he did not qualify for a free permanent permit as the Citroen C4 car he drove was not registered in his name.

Instead of buying 90p-a-day visitor permits which would have allowed him to continue to park on the street, Rouse made a fake permit on his computer using his expired temporary one as a template.

But the forgery was spotted by a parking officer and Rouse was confronted at his home by a council investigator, at which point he admitted using the counterfeit permit for up to six months.

Rouse admitted to one offence under the Fraud Act 2006, and one under the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984 at Portsmouth Magistrates Court on June 17.

Councillor Ken Ellcome, cabinet member for traffic and transportation, said: 'Residents of many streets in Portsmouth value their permits because they mean it's possible to park near their homes.

'Forging a pass is an attempt to cheat the system and claim a parking space that is not yours - stopping other people using it. I hope the sentence will deter other potential fraudsters.'

bigskygal wrote:The only reason he doesn't get a free resident permit is because the car he drives routinely which he wishes to park with his permit is registered to his wife or parents or employer or whomever???