A mother, fined during the school run for being two minutes late, reportedly lost her temper and forcefully smashed the parking warden’s phone on the ground, as revealed in court.
Lauren Cleere shouted “lies, absolute lies” from the dock at Croydon Magistrates’ Court as she was slapped with a community order and told to pay compensation of £100 to her victim.
Ms Cleere, 31, from Sutton, was with her 12-year-old son at the school when civil enforcement officer Elizabeth Ankrah imposed a fine for “parking on yellow lines” at approximately 10:45 am on July 19 last year, reported MyLondon.
She displayed significant agitation, raising her voice at Ms. Ankrah multiple times, and subsequently removed the ticket from the car, as described by prosecutor Shannon Thomas in court on January 31.
She then marched back into the school to gather support from parents, and re-emerged continuing her tirade at Ms Ankrah. “She got close to the point she grabbed her phone, smashing it to the ground, breaking it,” said Mr Thomas.
The loss of the £730 phone, which was owned by Ms Ankrah’s employer SABA Parking, had a ‘significant impact’ on her work, Mr Thomas added.
The entire incident was captured on a body-worn camera, but when District Judge Sushil Kumar requested it to be played in court, Cleere expressed her reluctance, stating, “I do not want to see it” and “I’m not sitting here watching it.”
Judge Kumar retorted, “If you do not want to see it, you can close your eyes then.”
Despite dismissing her objections, a technical issue prevented the clip from being shown.
Defense Counsel Montserrat Casadevall acknowledged her client’s full responsibility but explained that Cleere had experienced heightened frustration on that specific day when various challenges converged.
Ms Casadevall elaborated that Cleere, now single, was solely responsible for caring for her autistic son due to a recent breakup, and she had also recently lost a close friend.
Ms Cleere pleaded with the warden not to issue the ticket, citing a mere two-minute discrepancy in the allowed parking time. Ms Casadevall expressed that Cleere regrets her behaviour, attributing it to a loss of self-control.
After considering her personal circumstances and financial difficulties, Judge Kumar refrained from ordering full compensation but sternly warned her against future unacceptable behaviour.
He emphasised that it is not her prerogative to take the law into her own hands and engage in inappropriate actions.
As a consequence, Ms Cleere received an 18-month community order, including a 20-day rehabilitation activity requirement and a six-month mental health treatment requirement. Additionally, she was directed to pay £100 in compensation to Ms. Ankrah.
