. Judge cuts lad terms of duo in bogus HGV licences scam
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• Two men who pretended they were qualified HGV drivers so they could get work had their prison sentences cut at the Appeal Court in London last week.
Mr Justice Rougier said the pair had been motivated by the desire for a paid job rather than depending on social security. Henry Julian Cox, of King's Lynn, and Andrew Desmond Arthur Sheppard, of Melksham, had been jailed on 31 March at Swindon Crown Court after pleading guilty to a series of offences.
Cox was sentenced to 18 months for two offences of conspiracy to obtain money by deception and two thefts.
Sheppard was given a two-year term on two counts of conspiracy to obtain money by deception and two of obtaining money by deception. Mr Justice Rougier said: "The proper sentence for Cox was 1 2 months concurrent and for Sheppard 18 months concurrent. They at least had the motive of getting a paid job rather than living off social security, and there was no loss to anyone since they were paid the going rate for the job." The two men had approached employment agencies in and around Wiltshire and pretended they were qualified HGV drivers. They gave false names and driving licences and fictitious references.
The judge added: "Lorries which thunder up and down our roads are potentially very dangerous and the public has a right to expect that those at the wheel are properly qualified. On the other hand, there was no hint of any complaint about the way these men performed their work."