You can't fine my son ... these are his ashes,

BUNGLING civil servants insisted on prosecuting a dead teenager — so his mum took the lad’s ASHES to court to prove he was no longer alive. The DVLA wanted to put Paul Strange, 19, in the dock after claiming he had failed to notify them that he had sold a vehicle. But not only had Paul never even owned the motor, he had been dead for nearly two years. Mum Julie, 43, sent a copy of his death certificate yet staff still demanded Paul must go to court. So she took him along — in a small wooden casket. When the clerk called his name, Julie walked to the front of the court, held out the urn and said: “He’s here.” There was a stunned silence until Julie said: “Do you want to see him?” She burst into tears while explaining the situation to JPs. The prosecutor then withdrew the case. Julie, of Little Salkeld, near Penrith,Cumbria, said: “I hope the DVLA will get the message that Paul is dead and send a letter saying this whole episode is behind us. “It would be nice to get an apology as well and an explanation about the vehicle that sparked this trouble.” Julie, who has two other children, added: “This has been traumatic for the family.” Paul was hit by a train while walking home from a night out in October 2006. A coroner recorded a verdict of accidental death. The first letter about the sale of a K-reg motor arrived in 2007. Bailiffs even called to repossess it before a summons was sent demanding Paul appear before magistrates in Workington. The charge is punishable by a fine. A DVLA spokesman said: “We do everything we can to ensure that our records are accurate, and on the whole they are.”