This article is from the source 'bbc' and was first published or seen on . It will not be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/1/hi/england/cumbria/7672570.stm
The article has changed 4 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
| Version 0 | Version 1 |
|---|---|
| Mother takes son's ashes to court | Mother takes son's ashes to court |
| (about 2 hours later) | |
| A Cumbrian mother took her son's ashes into a courtroom to prove he was dead, after being hounded by officials. | A Cumbrian mother took her son's ashes into a courtroom to prove he was dead, after being hounded by officials. |
| Julie Strange, 43, carried the remains of her son, Paul, 19, into Workington Magistrates' Court after a lengthy row with vehicle licensing chiefs. | Julie Strange, 43, carried the remains of her son, Paul, 19, into Workington Magistrates' Court after a lengthy row with vehicle licensing chiefs. |
| The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) threatened her late son with court action claiming he had not told them about the sale of a vehicle. | |
| The DVLA has now apologised and promised to investigate the incident. | The DVLA has now apologised and promised to investigate the incident. |
| The mother-of-three said she rang the DVLA each time she received a letter to explain her son had never owned the vehicle in question and had died in October 2006 after begin hit by a train. | The mother-of-three said she rang the DVLA each time she received a letter to explain her son had never owned the vehicle in question and had died in October 2006 after begin hit by a train. |
| Accurate records | Accurate records |
| But despite also sending a copy of his death certificate, Mrs Strange was visited by bailiffs wanting to seize the vehicle and a summons for Paul to appear in court. | But despite also sending a copy of his death certificate, Mrs Strange was visited by bailiffs wanting to seize the vehicle and a summons for Paul to appear in court. |
| Mrs Strange made the trip, presenting the court with a wooden casket containing her son's remains, complete with brass nameplate. | |
| The case was withdrawn by magistrates. | The case was withdrawn by magistrates. |
| After the hearing, Mrs Strange said: "This has been traumatic for the family. I hope this is the end of it." | After the hearing, Mrs Strange said: "This has been traumatic for the family. I hope this is the end of it." |
| A DVLA spokesman said: "We do everything we can to ensure that our records are accurate, and on the whole they are. | A DVLA spokesman said: "We do everything we can to ensure that our records are accurate, and on the whole they are. |
| "Where mistakes are made, we are of course extremely sorry for any distress caused and in this case we will be urgently examining what happened to ensure lessons are learnt." | "Where mistakes are made, we are of course extremely sorry for any distress caused and in this case we will be urgently examining what happened to ensure lessons are learnt." |