A mechanic issued 310 MOT certificates for vehicles he never inspected, a court has been told.
David Barrington, 32, pleaded guilty to 50 counts of fraud and asked for a further 260 related counts to be taken into consideration when he appeared at Exeter Crown Court; he was given a suspended sentence.
The defendant was working as an MOT tester at a garage in Budleigh Salterton, Devon, when he issued the certificates.
The owner of the garage had no knowledge of Mr Barrington’s illegal activities.
DVSA received intelligence that MOT certificates were being issued fraudulently in the Devon area.
This prompted an investigation by DVSA’s enforcement team that exposed the extent of Mr Barrington’s conduct.
No idea if vehicles were roadworthy
Using specialist analysis and data from the MOT testing service, the team was able to identify the person responsible and the number of fraudulent certificates he issued.
Investigations by the DVSA revealed that, over an 18-month period, Barrington issued 310 MOT test pass certificates to vehicles he had not inspected.
This meant he had no idea what condition the vehicles were in or whether they were roadworthy.
Barrington, who worked at CT Staddon Ltd, was immediately removed from the MOT scheme as well as being prosecuted.
The owner of the garage where he committed his crimes was banned from conducting MOT tests for 28 days.
DVSA has contacted the owners of the affected vehicles advising them to get their vehicle re-tested.
Barrington, of Longdogs Lane, Ottery St Mary, was given a 16-month suspended sentence and a six-month electronic curfew order to run from 9pm to 6am.
The DVSA is also now undertaking a proceeds of crime investigation, the Devon Live article said.
Have you ever encountered any activity like this? Is there anything else garages or the DVSA could do to prevent these crimes taking place? Let us know in the comments below.
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