MOT fraudsters handed suspended sentences for untested vehicles

An MOT tester and a mechanic in the UK have received suspended prison sentences after passing 223 vehicles they never tested.

The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) successfully prosecuted Owain Shaw, an MOT tester, and Jamie Lee, a mechanic, for MOT fraud at Bristol Crown Court.

The pair have been ordered to do up to 300 hours of unpaid work and face prison if they reoffend.

This type of fraud is known as ‘ghost’ MOT testing, whereby certificates are issued for vehicles that were never at the test centre.

The DVSA said suspicious was raised when multiple MOT tests were being completed in unrealistically short time periods.

Bank records later showed that Lee had paid Shaw £11,428 for issuing fraudulent certificates.

The court heard that the pair tried to disguise these payments as legitimate purchases of ‘car parts’.

The DVSA immediately cancelled all the fraudulent certificates and contacted the affected vehicle owners.