Judge vows to make example of MOT tester but stops short of jail sentence

Tester to pay £3,725 in costs and carry out unpaid work after continuing to issue passes despite broken equipment

Judge vows to make example of MOT tester but stops short of jail sentence

A mechanic has narrowly avoided jail after being caught faking the results of 33 MOT certificates.

Phillip Wilson was exposed by DVSA inspectors while working at MTs MOT Centre in Waterlooville, Portsmouth.

Inspectors discovered that the roller-brake tester and decelerometer were broken and ordered Wilson to stop all testing until both were fixed.

DVSA order to stop testing ignored

Wilson ignored the warnings and continued to dupe customers into thinking their vehicles were road-worthy.

His actions forced the authorities to issue a safety warning to dozens of drivers across the area.

The case incited the fury of Judge Gary Burrell QC at Southampton Crown Court, who vowed to make an example of Wilson.

He said: “You were in a position of trust.

“You knew what you were doing.

“What you did in this case was to expose others to a risk of loss and a risk of injury.

“Utter contempt for the MOT system”

“You displayed utter contempt for the MOT system and its integrity.”

Prosecutor Lucy Conroy told the court when Wilson later admitted to inspectors “making up the values” and “taking cash to issue certificates by hand” to avoid them being electronically registered with the DVSA.

She added: “The public has a right to have trust and confidence in those we ensure the safety of our families and ourselves.

“Currently, we have 33 vehicles who may or may not have defective brakes.”

Wilson has since been sacked from his role at the garage and banned from his profession for five years.

Simon Moger, defending, said: “He was very, very foolish to have carried on doing what he was doing.”

Related: DVSA emphasises “phased introduction” of connected equipment amid cost concerns

Judge Burrell said the public’s confidence had been rocked and insisted he needed to make an example of Wilson to act as a ‘deterrent’ to others.

However, he stopped short of an immediate prison sentence, instead imposing a six-month jail term, suspended for two years.

He added: “This is not an easy decision because you are of good character, you are unlikely to re-offend and you have lost quite a lot – you’ve lost your job, you’ve lost the prospect of being an MOT certificate giver for at least five years, your family situation has broken down.

“So you have, I accept, lost quite a lot.

“I am just – but only just – persuaded that it would be appropriate to suspend the sentence.”

Wilson was ordered to pay £3,725 in costs and carry out 200 hours unpaid work.

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  • #185003 Reply

    A mechanic has narrowly avoided jail after being caught faking the results of 33 MOT certificates. Phillip Wilson was exposed by DVSA inspectors while
    [See the full post at: Judge vows to make example of MOT tester but stops short of jail sentence]

    #185056 Reply
    Les
    Guest

    What a dickhead, he’s proved he is not of good character and I don’t think that after 5years he should be allowed to be an mot tester. Take a sand on this dvsa.

    #185057 Reply
    David
    Guest

    I see it differently. If the court of law had of sent him to jail, then they would have to find the funds to do it. That in itself would be a cost and responsibility that they would need to look after, however giving him a fine well that is a tax income, profit in the bank for them. It seems its always the same in this trade, point the finger at brakes and steering the most two safety related areas of the vehicle and use that to their own advantage to make a case and put it in the press, and make it sound good. How many vehicles in the real world in this country do you ever here about on the TV or otherwise where serious breakdowns have occurred due to steering or brakes in the time we live, really?

    If road safety was an issue, a real issue, then specialist trained people would do the safety inspections and be government licensed with a statutory backed fee, not the useless mot scheme run by any tom,d1ck or harry as this country is so used to nowadays.

    #185058 Reply
    Les
    Guest

    David, part of the reason we don’t see catastrophic steering and brake failures is because of the mot. Any system is open to abuse, when I started in the motor trade in 1963 it was common to see front suspension, steering, brake and tyre failures plus vehicles with half their lights not working
    It is up to our qualified examiners to make the system work.
    Ps
    You don’t come across as an mot tester.

    #185535 Reply
    mark
    Guest

    you can buy second hand decelometer on ebay for £50.00 there not certicated but they work and a phone call too get your brake tester fixed is not hard too do some one was just in the mot system for the money he should off been jailed were seeing this more and more a strong message needs too be sent out here if you do dodgy mots you go too jail full stop if your a gas fitter our a sparky and you get done doing something dodgy you go too jail for risking peoples lifes it should be the same here a car has too be safe too be on the road

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