A disabled ex marine who served in the Falklands and Northern Ireland was fined by a parking firm despite paying the correct amount as he tried to attend a hospital appointment.
Peter Leach, 74, who suffers from a number of disabilities including vision and mobility problems, parked in the Shepherd Street car park to attend an appointment with the eye clinic at the nearby Royal Liverpool Hospital.
Mr Leach said he paid the correct charge even though he incorrectly punched his registration number in the automated machine, by accidentally adding one extra letter.
He thought no more of it until he received a demand for payment for illegal parking through the post.
His attempt to explain the circumstances to the parking firm fell on deaf ears. He is now facing a £100 fine after his appeal against the penalty notice was rejected.
Mr Leach, a widower who lives in Woolton Village, said he admitted entering his registration number wrongly, but the machine would not allow him to correct the mistake.
He said: "The parking company said I hadn't paid, but I paid the full amount for three-and-a-half hours.
"In fact when I came back to the car after my appointment I still had 20 minutes to spare before the ticket expired."
Mr Leach's impressive service record includes 23 years as a Royal Marine Commando, including active duty in Northern Ireland during the "Troubles" of the 1970s, and being captured in South Georgia during the Argentinian invasion of the Falkland Islands in 1982.
After leaving the services, he joined Merseyside Police, where he worked for 13 years as a tactical firearms officer until his retirement.
His years of service were recognised by his being decorated with a Distinguished Service Medal (DSM).
He said: "I'm extremely disappointed by the parking firm's attitude. This was an honest mistake.
"I did everything I was supposed to - I paid the money, the ticket came out, I even had 20 minutes to spare by the time I got back."
Mr Leach said repeated attempts to contact the parking firm - Car Parking Partnership (CPP) - had proved fruitless.
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His son-in-law Adam Town said: "He is one of the most honest people I've met. I think it's very unfair."
The ECHO approached Car Parking Partnership for comment.
