A man paid a ‘third party’ £1,000 to take his driving theory test for him because he ‘struggled heavily’ with English. Wael Al-Ghasiba, 37, had been approached by the man who offered to take the test after he had previously failed.
The man went to the Manchester Theory Test Centre on August 20, 2020 and attempted to use Al-Ghasiba’s licence in order to take the test for him. However, he was identified by staff and the father of-five was arrested and cautioned.
He admitted to the police that he had difficulty understanding and reading English and due to previous failures of the test, he was approached by a man who offered to take the test for the sum of £1,000.
Prosecuting for the Driver Vehicle and Standards Agency, Andrew Stewardson told Manchester Magistrates' Court: “The potential risks are self-evident. Had he been successful, there would have been a driver on the road who would not have passed their theory test.”
Al-Ghasiba, of Nelson, Lancashire, was said to have no previous convictions. At a previous hearing he pleaded guilty to making or supplying an article for use in fraud.
Mitigating, his defence lawyer Nauman Hanif, said his client cooperated fully with the police and made ‘full and frank’ admissions in his interview. “He struggles heavily with English,” he said.
“There was very little planning that occurred in this offence, it was not sophisticated and had not been thought through. One of the reasons why the defendant committed this offence is because he had been approached by a third party who informed him that it would cost him £1,000 for somebody to take the test and he would pass.”
Mr Hanif said he had only met the person once, and he said he was ‘simply taken advantage of’. He said he was ‘embarrassed and ashamed’ and has since lost his employment prospects as a result.
Al-Ghasiba, who was assisted by an Arabic interpreter, was sentenced to a 12 month community order and 150 hours unpaid work.
Sentencing him, JP Ronald Marshall said: “The reason why we introduced the theory test was to improve understanding our sense of driving, and to ensure that anybody that drives on the roads, understands the rules and instructions of the British Roads.
“We have heard many times that individuals who try to take this test have been jailed, maybe for using Bluetooth, or dressing up as others, or using crafted documentation. You yourself had taken the test once and failed.”
Al-Ghasiba, of Macleod Street, was also ordered to pay £1,105 towards the cost of the DVSA investigation, £300 towards legal costs and a £95 victim surcharge.
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