Royal Marine who lost two limbs in Afghanistan fined for using disabled bay

Ben McBean said the warden wouldn’t accept his offers to check and scan the badge and simply insisted it was ‘fake’

A former Royal Marine who lost two limbs fighting in Afghanistan says he was fined for using a disabled bay - despite offering to show the traffic warden his blue badge.

Ben McBean - who lost an arm and a leg to a landmine blast in Helmand Province in 2008 - said the warden wouldn’t accept his offers to check and scan the badge and simply insisted it was “fake”.

The 36-year-old - who has previously been hailed a “hero” by Prince Harry - is now waiting for the council to fine or take him to court over the incident - which happened in Plymouth, Devon at around 4.30pm yesterday.

Speaking to The Independent, he said: “The badge is proof of my disability. So rather than me saying I’m disabled - I put it in the window (of my car).

“If I get a fine or court date then I’ll speak to someone I suppose. It’s sad really isn’t it how you’ve got to prove your disability to people or else?”

Plymouth City Council has since said it is “deeply concerned” about the incident and has contacted Mr McBean so it can “investigate the matter further”.

But it is not the first time he has had issues over his blue badge.

Mr McBean previously had to fight to get his it back from the council after they spotted him running the London Marathon on his prosthetic leg.

Ben McBean lost two limbs in Afghanistan in 2008 (Ben McBean)

He explained that these issues have led to him avoiding using disabled parking bays but had no choice yesterday because it was so busy.

Within minutes of parking his car, he said a woman in a coffee shop overlooking the car park began tapping on the window and shaking her before she followed him outside saying “excuse me”.

Mr McBean ignored her but when he returned to his car 15 minutes later discovered the woman, a parking warden and two other men there.

The warden was “tapping on my window where the badge was - saying it’s a fake badge”, he explained.

Prince Harry called Mr McBean a “hero” after meeting him (PA)

Despite offering to give it to the warden to check and scan - which would verify that it was geninue - Mr McBean claims he refused which prompted the former commando to leave.

“I had to turn around to get out and so I came past them,” he explained.

“They are in the middle of the road and they are all clapping me as I’m driving past saying ‘I’m getting a fine or going to court’.”

The father-of-two has since shared news of the experience on Twitter, prompting many people to throw their support behind the marine-turned-motivational speaker.

Ben McBean in the immediate aftermath of his injuries which saw him lose two limbs in 2008 (Ben McBean)

And despite news of it going viral, he is not expecting an apology from the council or to punish the warden for how he was treated.

“I think highlighting this was important,” he added.

“However what I’m not trying to do is get a man sacked when it’s hard enough as it is for work.

“He probably has a family and so on. I think the main point is people’s view on what they think is disabled.

“I should haven’t to put a badge in the window and then re-explain the worst day of my life.

“The post was just me explaining to my followers what happened and calling out the muppet traffic warden.”