A 20-year-old Melksham man was ‘coerced’ into issuing an MOT certificate for a car that didn’t go in for testing, a court heard.
Luke Bartels, of Craybourne Road, appeared before Swindon Magistrates’ Court yesterday afternoon charged with fraud by false representation in August last year. He admitted the offence.
It was the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency’s (DVSA) case that the defendant – a qualified MOT tester – was working for Wiltshire Tyre and Autocentre in Bowerhill when he used the computer system to issue a certificate.
However, the system – linked to the DVSA headquarters – requires the use of a non-transferable PIN that is unique to the nominated tester, not the business.
Wiltshire Tyre and Autocentre director Tom Collins discovered the discrepancy when he was carrying out a check of the garage’s in-out logs to ensure it tallies up with the MOT register.
A 2017-plate Citroën appeared on the register but not on the vehicle logs, meaning an MOT certificate was issued for the car without it having been to the garage. Mr Collins’ CCTV footage of the date and time in question showed a different vehicle in the workshop, and on the ramp, at the time the test was meant to have been carried out.
Bartels was invited to an interview held by the DVSA, but failed to attend. Instead, Mr Collins attended and gave an explanation of what had happened.
“It does undermine public confidence, and undermine public safety”, the prosecutor said.
The cost to the DVSA for the investigation and prosecution was £1788.
Defending, advocate Charlotte Frizzell said her client accepted the offence but is of previous good character.
“My client takes full responsibility, however, there was an element of coercion that took place, but I’ll leave it there”, she told the court. Ms Frizzell later added that he was no longer friends with the person responsible for the coercion.
She said Bartels had lost his dad prior to the incident and was in a “situation of vulnerability”, adding that he has since sought counselling but had been advised to get some “more significant help for his issues”.
Magistrates imposed a £166 fine, £300 costs and £34 victim surcharge.
The DVSA said, following the conviction, he will never be able to work as a qualified MOT tester in the future.
