21 Aug 2008 17:32 Africa/Lagos


Jail sentences handed to motor fraudsters

London, 21 August/GNN/ --

DRIVING STANDARDS AGENCY News Release (DSA 40/08) issued by The Government
News Network on 21 August 2008
The Driving Standard's Agency (DSA) can reveal further success in their
efforts to deal with individuals who fraudulently sit the practical driving
test on behalf of named candidates.
Today at Croydon Crown Court two men were jailed for conspiracy to obtain
driving test past certificates by deception.

38-year-old Charles Egonye of Stondon Park, London, pleaded guilty at an
earlier hearing to sitting the practical driving test on behalf of 18 people
between February 2004 and March 2006.

Christopher Reid, 34, of Forest Hill, London, was described in court as a
'facilitator.' He was found guilty at a trial last week of using both his
credit card and car in order to aid Egonye in his activities.

Egonye was handed a 12 month jail term and Reid, 34, a six month sentence.

Judge John Tanzer described a full driving licence as 'a very valuable
document which was considered an appropriate form of identity.'

The DSA continues to warn that it is committed to the prosecution of offenders
in order to preserve public safety and the integrity of the driving test
procedure.

As well as a driving qualification, many people seek possession of a full U.K
Driving Licence to establish proof of their identity to gain other identity
documents and a credit standing within this country.

The DSA investigates all reported cases and works closely with the police
and criminal justice agencies to identify offenders and bring them to justice.

Andrew Rice, Head of Fraud & Integrity for the Driving Standards Agency said:
"Tackling impersonations is a key priority for the Agency as offenders presents
a significant danger to road safety. Through fraudulent and criminal means,
impersonators gain entitlement to drive for those who are unable or unwilling
to undertake the assessment to prove that they meet the required standard
to drive on our roads."

Notes to Editors:
1. The Driving Standards Agency (DSA) is an executive agency * of the
Department for Transport.

2. The DSA's vision is "Safe Driving for Life" with an overall mission to
contribute towards a Government target of achieving a 40% reduction in riders
and drivers killed or seriously injured in road accidents, in the age group
up to 24 years, by 2010.

3. Current information on road casualties is available from the Department
for Transport website: www.dft.gov.uk

4. The Agency's aim is to promote road safety through setting standards
for drivers, riders and trainers, testing drivers and riders fairly and
efficiently, maintaining the registers of Approved Driving Instructors;
Large Goods Vehicle Instructors; Fleet Trainers; Driving Instructor Trainers
and Post Test Motorcycle Trainers; supervising Compulsory Basic Training
(CBT) for learner motorcyclists; and driver education and the provision of
learning resources.

5. DSA is a trading fund * with an expected turnover of around £199 million for
the year 2008/9, fully funded by fee income and revenue from its activities.

6. DSA employs over 2,700 staff, of which some 2,000 are driving examiners
based at over 400 test centres across mainland Great Britain. In 2007/2008
the Agency conducted 1.8 million practical tests for car drivers, over 95,000
vocational tests and 94,000 motorcycle rider tests. A total of 1.7 million
theory tests were carried out at 158 centres. At the end of the year there
were around 43,600 people on the Register of Approved Driving Instructors.

7. DSA was one of the first Government Agencies to introduce an online
booking service. Candidates can book and manage their theory and practical
test appointments on line at www.direct.gov.uk/drivingtest

* Executive agency:
An executive agency is semi-detached from its parent department and manages
its own budget with freedom from ad hoc, day to day intervention and much of
central, government-wide regulation. They are run under the organisation and
direction of a Chief Executive recruited through open competition. An executive
agency has accountability for the performance of specific operational tasks
as a corporate unit, including focused performance targets set by the parent
department and personal accountability of the chief executive for performance.

* Trading Fund:
A trading fund is a means of financing trading activities
undertaken by Government that would previously have been financed
by annual appropriation from Parliament. A trading fund permits the
establishment of a self-accounting unit that remains under the control and
management of Ministers and accountable to Parliament through Ministers,
but has greater freedom to manage its financial affairs. Effectively that
means the trading fund body can use its income to settle its liabilities
and retain year-end cash balances.
Establishing the trading fund does not alter the Agency's constitutional
position and it remains part of the Department for Transport.


Source: Driving Standards Agency