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Man fined for having Scooby Doo number plate

A motorist has been taken to court and fined - for having a Scooby Doo logo on his number plate.

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A motorist has been taken to court and fined - for having a Scooby Doo logo on his number plate.

Tom Edwards was ordered to pay £240 in fines and costs after he was reported by a policeman who spotted the three-inch image.

The 22-year-old said today: "This is madness. I am very annoyed at the way I have been treated. This is totally unfair."

He was in the parked M-reg Subaru Impreza in Newhampton Road West on September 7 last year.

A passing police officer spotted the popular character and Scooby Doo lettering on the front and back number plates of the saloon and warned that this was illegal.

Edwards, from Princes Gardens, Codsall, was given two weeks to correct the plates and provide proof that the work had been carried out but he failed to do so, Wolverhampton Magistrates Court heard.

He pleaded not guilty at an earlier hearing to failing to conform to road regulations but was told to provide proof of his claim that the plates were changed within the fortnight deadline.

Jobless Edwards failed to arrive for a trial on Monday, claiming to be ill for the third time during the long running hearing. The case was proved in his absence and District Judge Michael Wheeler fined him £190 with £50 costs.

Edwards said later at his family home: "I only owned the car for a few months. The Scooby logo was three inches by two inches. It was on when I bought it and the signs did not obscure the registration number."

He said: "I changed the plates after being told to do so and fitted them myself. They cost £16 and then I got a stamped note from a garage confirming they were legal. This cost another £4.

"I left it at the police station when I produced my insurance, MoT and driving licence within the required 14 day period. I assumed that was the end of the matter but more than four months later I was summonsed.

"I phoned the court on Monday to say that I was unwell and the person I spoke to said 'fine, I will tell them.' I was not expecting the case to be dealt with in my absence."

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