Stratford fraudster jailed for three years for taking others’ driving tests
A fraudster was jailed for three years on Friday for taking driving tests on behalf of other people.
Solomon Tweneboah, of David Lee Point, Stratford, charged around £600 to help people illegally pass the theory test and around £1,000 for the practical test.
Inner London Crown Court heard how Tweneboah, 34, attempted to take three theory tests using different provisional licences between December 2011 and August 2012.
In each case, theory test centre staff became suspicious when they checked the photo on the provisional licence, and Tweneboah left the centre without taking the test.
A car belonging to Tweneboah was also used to take five practical driving tests between between May and July 2011.
He was turned away by the examiner before one test but examiners allowed Tweneboah to take the test on four other occasions, but then alerted Driving Standard’s Agency (DSA) fraud team when his performance was a clearly too confident for a learner driver.
All driving licences gained as a result of this fraud will now be revoked.
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DSA launched an investigation into Tweneboah and he was arrested earlier this year in a joint operation with the Metropolitan Police.
He was convicted on July 29 after a five day trial of eight counts of fraud by false representation and four counts of possessing an identity document with improper intent.
DSA’s Head of Fraud and Integrity, Andy Rice, said: “The driving test is there to ensure that all drivers have the skills and knowledge to use the roads safely and responsibly. Anyone who tries to circumvent this process is putting innocent road users at risk.
“This sentence sends a clear message that driving test fraud is a serious offence and will be dealt with accordingly.
“We have stringent measures in place to detect fraudulent activity and work closely with the police to bring all offenders to justice. Thankfully this type of crime is extremely rare.”
