Retired plasterer tries to cover tracks before grovelling admission of using wife's disabled badge

A retired plasterer tried to cover his tracks before admitting to misusing his disabled wife’s Blue Badge while parking in a disabled bay when shopping in Portsmouth.

Barry Starks, of Balliol Road, Fratton, told a torrent of lies as he attempted to plaster over the truth before finally issuing a grovelling admission in which he confessed to blatantly lying. “Oh yeah”, he said when asked if he knew he had been lying.

He appeared before Portsmouth Magistrates’ Court where he pleaded guilty to charges of misusing his wife’s badge and fraudulently appealing against a parking penalty.

Starks’ offending took place on 4 December 2025 when a Portsmouth City Council enforcement officer was carrying out patrols at Market Way Car Park when he saw a Vauxhall parked in a marked disabled persons’ bay.

The officer observed Starks leave the vehicle alone and walk away from the car park.

A Blue Badge was displayed on the dashboard. According to the council, checks indicated the badge had been issued to an 81-year-old woman.

Starks later returned to the vehicle and handed the badge to the officer. When asked about his wife, he said he was collecting her from Cascades Shopping Centre, but was unable to say where he was meeting her. A Penalty Charge Notice (PCN) was subsequently issued.

In a subsequent appeal against the PCN, Starks claimed that he had dropped his wife and daughter at Cascades before returning to collect them. He also stated that the officer had refused to return “his” Blue Badge - even though it belonged to his wife.

The appeal included a declaration confirming that the information provided was true to the best of his knowledge.

During a formal interview with the council on 9 April 2026, Starks doubled down on his web of deceit, brazenly telling officers: "Well, it is the truth. I've dropped them off and then I picked them up".

However, the council said its records showed the vehicle entered the city centre at 12.12pm and left at 1.18pm on the day in question. The ANPR evidence was inconsistent with Starks’ initial account he had dropped his wife and daughter in the city earlier that morning.

Starks was forced to admit his dishonesty and when asked where his wife was the fraudster said: “I don’t know.”

When it was put to him whether he was meeting his wife in Cascades, he said: “No.” When grilled over “knowing that you were lying to us”, Starks simply responded: “Oh yeah.”

Starks told investigators that he had actually been shopping alone and knew he had parked in a disabled bay. He also confirmed he had submitted his appeal in an attempt to have the PCN cancelled.

At court, when asked by the bench why he had misused the Blue Badge, he said: “I just made a mistake, it’s as simple as that really.”

He was unable to give an explanation when asked why he had subsequently appealed the parking ticket using false information.

The court imposed a total financial penalty of £490.

Councillor Peter Candlish, cabinet member for transport at Portsmouth City Council, said: “Blue Badge misuse directly affects disabled people who genuinely rely on these spaces. The council takes this matter very seriously and is committed to protecting the scheme through robust enforcement and investigation.

"Portsmouth's expertise in this area has led to the council providing training to other authorities across the UK to help tackle the issue of Blue Badge misuse."