Jail for Chinese translator in Midlands drive tests fraud
A Chinese translator who helped driving test candidates cheat on theory exams in a 'serious fraud' which helped him earn up to £100,000 has been jailed for a year.
Interpreter Peter Hui was approved by the Driving Standards Agency to guide foreign applicants through the exam and voice over its multiple choice questions and answer options in Mandarin.
However, a joint West Midlands Police and DSA investigation revealed Hui had helped more than 200 candidates pass by agreeing a cheat's code which involved him saying 'shi' the Mandarin sound meaning 'yes' before reading out the answer he believed was correct.
Among those he helped cheat was 25-year-old Cheng Chen from Smethwick who admitted a charge of conspiracy to commit fraud.
DSA officials became suspicious at the increased number of prospective drivers choosing to be represented by the 55-year-old interpreter as his client list expanded rapidly towards the end of 2011 and into 2012.
They appointed their own Mandarin language expert to assess audio recordings taken from 27 of his translations and found he repeatedly used the 'shi' prompt to steer candidates to the right answer.
Hui was arrested at the Birmingham test centre, in Dale End's McLaren Building, on August 21 last year.
He admitted conspiring to defraud the DSA. At Birmingham Crown Court Hui, from Nash Square in Perry Barr, was sentenced to 12 months in prison.
Police finance investigators are now looking to recover cash and assets Hui is believed to have gained illegally.
The court heard how Chen from High Street hired Hui on February 3 last year having failed his first theory exam attempt and after hearing rumours that his 'methods' could guarantee a pass second time around.
They met at a McDonalds restaurant near the test centre where they agreed the 'shi' cheat's code and a fee of £120 he went on to pass the test with audio recordings later showing Hui indicated the right answer on 40 of the 50 questions posed.
Investigating officer, Det Con Mark Calvert from West Midlands Police's economic crime unit, said: "This was a serious fraud that potentially put road users and pedestrians at risk by putting people behind the wheel of vehicles when they were not properly qualified or competent enough to drive."
