Woman, 86, convicted after getting one letter wrong on car insurance form

Woman, 86, convicted after car insurance typo error55 minutes agoShareSaveAdd as preferred on GoogleGetty ImagesThe pensioner had written an F down as part of her number plate instead of an S, rendering the car insurance technically invalidAn 86-year-old woman has been convicted by a fast-track court after she accidentally got one letter wrong on her car insurance papers.The pensioner, from York, applied for a year's worth of cover for her Suzuki Splash car with Swinton Insurance, believing she was fully complying with the law.However, she had written an F down as part of her number plate instead of an S, rendering the insurance technically invalid.She was handed a three-month conditional discharge instead of a fine, but also ordered to pay a £26 victim surcharge.The woman realised the error after she received a letter from the DVLA saying she was being criminally prosecuted for keeping a vehicle without insurance.She wrote to the magistrates setting out the mistake, while her niece also penned a letter explaining that the family was now stepping in to help.Despite the letters, the pensioner was still convicted of a crime in the Single Justice Procedure, a fast-track court process where magistrates hand out convictions and punishments in private hearings.The Press Association highlighted the case to the DVLA, which said it would contact the woman to check her insurance paperwork and will seek to have the conviction overturned if the registration typo was to blame.'She can't cope'The woman faced prosecution after it was said her car had been uninsured on 6 February 2026.Replying to the Single Justice Procedure notice, she wrote: "I understood my car was fully insured with Swinton Insurance, from 1 April 2025 to 31 March 2026."I did not notice the registration printed wrongly. Had an F instead of an S."Her niece also sent in a letter, explaining: "All the paperwork for insurance has been found to be one letter incorrect. No-one...