Key facts
- London Mayor Sadiq Khan's conviction for keeping an unlicensed vehicle has been withdrawn.
- The conviction was formally withdrawn by magistrates following a request from the DVLA.
- City Hall stated that Khan was the victim of a scam and the vehicle did not belong to him.
- Khan had been prosecuted after the annual tax on a 2002 Nissan Micra expired in September last year.
- Letters regarding the unpaid tax were sent to an incorrect address, including a restaurant.
- The prosecution was brought by the DVLA through the Single Justice Procedure.
A car tax conviction against London Mayor Sadiq Khan has been formally withdrawn after the DVLA requested the case be reopened. Khan, 55, was prosecuted last month for keeping an unlicensed vehicle and was handed a £220 fine by a court in Herefordshire. The case was dealt with privately in a fast-track court process.
City Hall insisted the 24-year-old Nissan Micra did not belong to Khan and that he had fallen victim to a scam. A spokesperson for the mayor stated that he is the victim and should not have been prosecuted, calling the behavior illegal and noting the DVLA was aware.
In a court hearing at Hereford Justice Centre, the case was formally reopened and withdrawn by magistrates upon a request from the DVLA. The legal advisor informed the panel that the DVLA had requested the matter be marked as withdrawn. The DVLA accused Khan of being the keeper of the vehicle when it was spotted untaxed, stating his name and date of birth appeared on official records. Letters concerning the unpaid tax were sent to Gordon Ramsay's east London restaurant instead of nearby TfL offices.
The prosecution was brought by the DVLA after the annual tax on the blue Nissan Micra, first registered in 2002, expired in September last year. The agency said a letter asking for confirmation of the car owner's identity went unanswered, leading to the criminal prosecution. Khan was convicted in his absence after no plea was entered.