Woman made £28,000 by taking 150 driving tests
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A woman who was jailed for taking approximately 150 practical and theory driving tests is reported to have made £28,000 from her illegal enterprise.
Although driving tests are a nerve-racking experience for most, it'll come as no surprise that it's definitely not a good idea to get someone else to take it for you.
It's not like you can get them to drive for you after the fact.
But that didn't stop dozens of people from seeking out the service of Inderjeet Kaur, from Llanelli, Wales, who charged people £700 and £800 to take their theory and practical tests for them.
The 30-year-old took approximately 150 tests between 2018 and 2020 while posing as those who had paid her, travelling to the likes of Swansea, Carmarthen, Birmingham and London.
However, her ventures came to a halt after staff at various test centres grew suspicious and a referral from the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) sparked an investigation by Welsh organised crime team Tarian.
Back in July, Kaur pleaded guilty at Swansea Crown Court and was sentenced to eight months in prison, four of which she'll spend behind bars.
Following this, a crime hearing at Swansea Crown Court today (7 October) heard how Kaur made £28,250 by taking tests for people who had difficulty with English.
According to the BBC, she was ordered to pay £27,614 and court costs of £156 within three months, or face a 12-month jail term.
Following the initial sentencing, Judge Huw Rees said: "In my judgement this case has three strands.
"The first is the number of occasions you impersonated people between October 2019 and September 2020.
"Another is the extensive locations across Wales and England that you did this.
"And third is the many applicants you impersonated who had a poor grasp of English and had previously failed their driving tests.
"The result is that your offending means there are a large number of unqualified drivers on roads in this country. This is an undoubtedly serious and disturbing case."
Detective Chief Inspector Steven Maloney suggested Kaur's crimes were committed out of greed.
"The crimes Kaur committed circumvent the driving test process and in turn puts innocent road users at risk, by allowing unskilled and dangerous motorists to have seemingly legitimate licences," he said.
"Safety on our roads has always been a priority and arresting those that flaunt the law ensures that we can keep unqualified drivers off the road.
"By working with the DVSA, this complex criminal investigation highlighted the extent of Kaur's offending which was purely out of greed. Kaur's offending has now been halted, and she has now been brought to justice, and we today welcome the sentence imposed by the courts.
"Frauds such as these pose significant risks to the general public and I urge any members of the public with information on such crimes to report them to the police or even anonymously via crime stoppers."
