London Mayor Sadiq Khan has been convicted and fined for failing to tax a 24-year-old car, a decision made through a fast-track court system. He was found guilty last month under a process described by critics as “conveyor-belt justice.”
City Hall officials have stated that the car does not belong to Mr Khan or Transport for London (TfL), raising the possibility of a wrongful conviction. The prosecution was brought by the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA), which accused Mr Khan of being the vehicle's keeper when it was identified as untaxed on 24 January.
A magistrate, sitting in a private hearing of the single justice procedure in Herefordshire, convicted Mr Khan in his absence. He was ordered to pay a £220 fine, £85 in costs, and a £35.84 bill for unpaid tax on the Nissan Micra.
Following the Press Association flagging the criminal conviction to the DVLA on Tuesday, officials confirmed they are reviewing the case and investigating the circumstances of the prosecution. Court documents also show that DVLA letters regarding the unpaid tax were sent to a Gordon Ramsay restaurant in east London, rather than nearby TfL offices.
The single justice procedure, introduced in 2015 for low-level criminal cases, allows magistrates to make convictions alone and in private. The system is currently under government review and has faced criticism, including in 2024 when approximately 59,000 train-fare evasion convictions were overturned.