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Court convicts fraudulent consultants
Page 7
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By Roger Brown
CM EXCLUSIVE
A PAIR OF BOGUS transport consultants have been convicted after fraudulently making thousands of pounds by applying for HGV 0-licences with forged documents.
John Plummeridge was sentenced to four years in prison at a hearing at Southend Crown Court on 3 December after being found guilty of 15 counts of obtaining pecuniary advantage.
Philip Cameron was found guilty on three counts and was given a 51-week suspended sentence. The two men set themselves up as consultants, offering advice and technical expertise to firms wanting licences.
The fraudulent 0-licence applications included situations where:
• A person approached them and asked for help in getting a licence, thinking it was genuine.
• The pair applied for a licence using a genuine name, but that person had no knowledge of the licence being issued in their name • According to police, the name and details on the licence were fictitious.
In February 2006, the Metropolitan Police, in conjunction with Vosa, began its Operation Clued° investigation after concerns were raised that the holders of several 0-licences relating to enquiries into road traffic incidents involving HGVs could not be traced. At the same time, the South East Traffic Commissioner was concerned about the nature of some HG V 0-licence applications coming before him.
In April 2006, police raided five addresses in London and the Home Counties and seized paperwork and computer equipment. which tied the pair to numerous licences.
Detective superintendent Glyn Jones from the Traffic Operational Command Unit comments: "These men abused a system put in place to ensure everyone's safety with such arrogance that they believed they would never be caught."
Vosa chief operating officer Alex Fiddes adds: "It sends out a clear message that we will target and catch those who abuse the operator licensing system."