AN osteopath caught using his dead mother’s disabled blue badge has been ordered to do 120 hours of unpaid work after avoiding a jail sentence.

Dr Nigel Graham faced his sentence at Southampton Magistrates Court after admitting to using his mother’s blue badge to park in Southampton’s King Park Road car park – 12 years after she had died.

The 55-year-old also admitted to trying to avoid fines relating to previous uses of his father-in-law’s blue badge by claiming he was with his disabled relative – but investigations soon revealed he was also dead.

He was sentenced to 16 weeks in prison, suspended, for each of the counts with magistrates describing it as a “despicable offence” which was carried out over a number of years.

He also has to do 120 hours of unpaid work, pay £70 compensation each to Bournemouth Borough Council and East Dorset Council, an £80 victim surcharge and £1,050 in costs.

He also has to forfeit any blue badges he holds.

Dr Graham, pictured, admitted to one count of not clearly displaying a blue badge in his Mercedes and five counts of fraud by false representation.

The first count relates to the use of his dead mother’s blue badge in July last year, when a parking attendant was unable to see the valid date on the pass.

When he challenged the notice on two occasions he claimed he was with the disabled aunt of a friend, known only as Dora, and it was her pass.

But investigations revealed the pass belonged to his late mum Frances Graham, who died in 2002.

As a result of this, Southampton City Council’s parking fraud team contacted other councils in the region to see if there were any other penalty charge notices relating to Dr Graham, who has to practices in Bournemouth and London.

They were contacted by Bournemouth Borough Council and Christchurch Council.

To both councils he challenged the notices, relating to 2012 and 2013 respectively, claiming he was with his disabled father-in-law. But investigations found he had died before Dr Graham was issued with the notices.

He even tried to take Bournemouth Borough Council to a traffic penalty tribunal, claiming the stress of the penalty notice had affected his father-in-law’s health – his father-in-law who had died weeks before the notice was issued.

Prosecutor Andy Forrest said: “This was a deliberate, premeditated and cynical fraud.”

At a previous hearing, in mitigation, Oliver O’Connor defending Dr Graham, who lives in Bournemouth, told the court that the defendant was ashamed and remorseful. He added that Dr Graham, who is of previous good character, had used the wrong badges but was with passengers who were disabled and needed the spaces.

After the sentencing a spokesperson from Southampton City COuncil, said: “Southampton City Council is very pleased with the outcome of this case. It demonstrates that blue badge fraud and misuse is taken seriously and will not be tolerated.”