Wolverhampton man in driving test ploy
A man tried to "dupe" the DVLA when he arranged for someone else to take the theory part of the driving exam on his behalf, a court heard.
Manjit Singh told the unknown man to take the test and provided him with his own driving photocard and provisional licence to carry out the scam. But workers at the centre started to become suspicious when they noticed the picture on the card did not look like the man who had arrived to take the exam, Wolverhampton Crown Court heard.
Singh had pleaded not guilty to conspiracy to commit fraud by dishonestly making a false representation, but a jury took just 39 minutes to convict him.
Prosecutor Mr Shane Crawford told the hearing: "Manjit Singh had a full driving licence but had been disqualified and that meant he had to do the theory and practical test all over again. What occurred on July 16, 2010, was that he arranged for another person to go along and do the theory test for him."
Mr Crawford said invigilators at the test centre in Stoke had not been convinced that the person that arrived to take the test was the same person in the photocard that was handed in.
Singh, aged 39, of Whitehouse Crescent, Ashmore Park, claimed he had asked the man to arrange the test on his behalf after meeting him at a local temple, but that he did not expect him to take the test on his behalf.
But Mr Crawford described his account as "untrue, fantastical and nonsense".
He added that two other people had pleaded guilty for their part in the conspiracy, explaining that the same credit card was used to book other tests.
Singh and the two other men will be sentenced at a later date to allow time for a Probation Service report into Singh.
