The defendant, in his late 40s, stood before the court. A warrant had been issued for his arrest since January 2024, nearly a year ago—something that visibly surprised the judge. The case stemmed from a driving-related offense that had escalated, and the defendant had failed to attend a court hearing in October of the previous year. He had since pleaded guilty, citing numerous personal difficulties, including addiction to Class A drugs and frequent changes of address, which had prevented him from attending.
As the hearing proceeded, the judge turned to the defendant.
"Tell me about your current life circumstances. What has been happening?"
The defendant shifted uneasily before responding.
"I’ve moved around a lot, different areas… and I’ve been in and out of rehab."
He paused, then added, almost hesitantly:
"Judge, I genuinely forgot about the court hearing."
The judge's expression remained unreadable as the defendant continued.
"I even went into Lewisham police station multiple times to ask about my case, but no one seemed to know anything."
He glanced at the bench.
"If I didn’t care, I wouldn’t have gone to the station to ask."
The judge, still considering the situation, turned to the legal advisors for guidance—right in front of the defendant. After a brief discussion, the judge addressed him again.
"Regardless of what happens on December, you are disqualified from today from driving any electric vehicle—whether it’s a bike, car, scooter… anything electric. Do you understand?"
The defendant seemed to process this for a moment before raising his hand slightly.
"Does that include the Santander bikes in London?"
The judge blinked, momentarily taken aback by the question. A confused silence hung in the air before the judge turned to the prosecutor for clarification.
"Wait… is that still considered an electric vehicle?"
The prosecutor hesitated before answering.
"Yes… technically, it is electric. However, there is a bit of a grey area with this."
The judge frowned, then turned to the rest of the bench.
"Should we check that in our next meeting?"
After a brief moment, the judge waved a hand dismissively. Turning back to the defendant, the judge’s tone grew firm.
"Anyway, no electric vehicles. None. Do you understand?"
"Yes, Your Honour."
With that, the judge ruled that the case would be sent to Crown Court on December 16th. Until then, the defendant was released on bail under the strict condition that he was not to drive any electric vehicle.