AN "oversight" led to a Brierley Hill man being convicted of motoring offences five weeks after his death.
Karl Christopher Green, of High Street, was one of the two men who died when the car they were in crashed into a wall on Brettell Lane, Brierley Hill, on Christmas Eve.
But on January 29, Dudley Magistrates Court found the 34-year-old guilty in absence of driving without a licence or insurance in Brierley Hill on December 13, 2015.
The father-of-one was ordered to pay £1,081 in fines and given six penalty points.
A spokesman from West Midlands Crown Prosecution Service confirmed they were told about Mr Green's death on December 24, adding: "On receipt of such notification, it is usual practice for a decision to be taken to discontinue any pending prosecutions against a deceased defendant with the court notified accordingly.
"On this occasion, this did not happen and the case proceeded to court.
“We are currently conducting enquires into the oversight that occurred and in the meantime, we have asked the court to set aside the conviction."
The spokesman said as the case was part of a number of prosecutions that were dealt with at court on the day at court, no additional cost were incurred.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here