A garage owner has been found guilty of issuing fraudulent MOT certificates to car owners at Woolwich Crown Court, following an investigation by the Vehicle and Operator Services Agency (VOSA).
Fifty-eight year-old Graham Jones ran Kent Car and Commercial Repairs from Darent Industrial Estate in Erith, Kent. Because he pleaded guilty to all charges, Jones was given a 12 months jail sentence which was suspended for 2 years and ordered to pay £2,500 in costs.
VOSA, the Government agency which monitors Britain’s 20,000 MOT test centres, carried out the investigation which uncovered many serious offences including issuing 27 fraudulent MOT certificates. The agency says that it used ‘sophisticated surveillance’ techniques to gather evidence at Mr Jones’ MOT garage in Erith.
During the trial the jury saw video evidence which showed that cars recorded on the MoT computer as having been tested, never actually entered or left the testing bay at the garage.
Alex Fiddes, VOSA’s Operations Director said: “This sentence is the culmination of a thorough and professional investigation by VOSA staff. It sends a clear message to the small minority in the MOT industry that, if you choose to cheat and defraud the motorist, and put their safety at risk, then the full force of the law will be brought to bear on you.”
At the time of writing Aftermarket has been unable to establish whether the affected vehicles will need to be retested.