A man who took learner drivers’ theory tests on their behalf for hundreds of pounds a pop has been jailed for a year.
Satwinder Singh, 34, was part of an organised crime ring which helped non-English speakers to fraudulently get their theory certificates, which are required for learners to sit their practical test.
He admitted to charging 36 people between £400 and £1,500 to impersonate them and pass their exams in driving test centres across the UK.
Prosecutors estimate he pocketed around £20,000 over a four-year period from the scheme, which saw him travel to Reading, Manchester, Sheffield, Southgate, Oxford, Aylesbury, Guildford, Staines and Bristol.
Singh was caught after staff at one test centre noticed he didn’t look like the photo on his provisional licence.
The Driving and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) also shared CCTV images of him with centres as a warning.
He was arrested in June after he was recognised while trying to take a test in Reading and was found with a licence bearing a different name.
In police interviews he insisted the false name was his real identity, but keys to a Range Rover found on his person led detectives to a vehicle registration under his real name.
Singh admitted fraud but denies organising the scheme, and his barrister said the prosecution ‘put no evidence forward’ to suggest he did so.
Judge Norton, sentencing, told Singh his actions had created a risk for road users by potentially putting unqualified drivers onto the roads.
She said: ‘I’ve read about the difficult start you have had in this country and you’re someone who has worked with and has been supported by your community who speaks highly of you.
‘However, there are aggravating factors. These were offences committed for financial gain.’
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