Driving test examiners jailed for test frauds

Two examiners, an instructor and seven candidates have been sentenced after a three-year investigation into driving test fraud in Warwickshire.

Examiners Bushra Chughtai and Andrew Cursley admitted passing candidates for money, Birmingham Crown Court heard.

Chughtai, 55, of Wigston, Leicestershire was jailed for three years and Cursley, 46, of St Nicolas Road, Nuneaton, Warwickshire was jailed for 18 months.

They were also disqualified from driving for two years on Monday.

Instructor Mahomed Rafiq Abdulla Ibrahim, 53, of Evington Lane, Leicester was sentenced to 15 months in prison at the end of the two-week trial.

The following driving test candidates were also sentenced:

• Javid Iqbal, 38, of Marley Road, Manchester, was jailed for six months

• Haviz Ghani, 41, of Nigel Road, East London, was jailed for six months

• Saadat Ali, 26, of St Helen's Place, Leighton, was jailed for four months

• Mubarak Fasal, 40, of Southdown Rd, Leicester, was jailed for four months

• Mohammed Ditta, 48, of Red Rose crescent Manchester, was jailed for 20 weeks

• Mohammed Ali, of Semerby Road, Essex, was jailed for 20 weeks

• Mahamad Sufi Sidat, 23, of Broomsdale Road, West Yorkshire, was jailed for 10 weeks

'Lives at risk'

Det Sgt Ruby Nailor, of Warwickshire Police, said: "The fraudulent acts of the driving instructor and test examiners allowed road safety across the country to be compromised, and innocent people were put in danger.

"The candidates themselves knew every time they got behind the wheel that they had not passed a genuine test and were not qualified to drive a car.

"They risked their own lives and the lives of other drivers, their passengers and pedestrians."

She added the two examiners, Chughtai and and Cursley, no longer worked at the Nuneaton test centre and the centre itself was not under investigation.

Andy Rice, from the Driving Standard's Agency, said: "We have stringent measures in place to detect any fraudulent activity and work with the police to bring all offenders to justice."