Great Dunmow car mechanic issued 84 false MOT certificates

A sad day for the industry

Great Dunmow car mechanic issued 84 false MOT certificates
Image: BBC News

A court heard that a former vehicle technician issued 84 MOT certifications without performing the necessary work.

Harry Pratt, who worked at the Taylors Services Centre in Great Dunmow, Essex, fraudulently claimed to have performed the checks in 2021 and 2022.

The 27-year-old admitted to 10 counts of fraud by false representation and is from Pale Gate Farm in Henham, Essex.

At Chelmsford Crown Court, he received a 10-month prison term with a 21-month suspension.

The service center’s MOT tester Pratt, who had a specialty in Jaguar Land Rover vehicles, allegedly awarded 84 phoney MOT certifications.

However, due to the passage of time, the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) decided not to pursue prosecution for 25 of the charges.

Judge Christopher Morgan was requested to take the remaining 49 counts “into consideration” after he was found guilty in the ten most recent cases.

The court was informed that for £50, a “unknown” person would provide him the “opportunity” to “issue” at least one of the bogus MOT certificates.

He was put on administrative leave from the company, then quit.

In interviews, he acknowledged providing false certificates as well as, for instance, failing to do brake testing and failing to use the “equipment necessary” at the centre.

According to the DVSA, it wrote to all affected customers after learning that three vehicles experienced “dangerous failures” and a fourth had to be “abandoned.”

Mr. Pratt was also required to pay costs of £2,630, perform 250 hours of unpaid labour, and pay a statutory fee.

Source BBC News

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