Deans fined for permits
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• Joseph and Wendy Dean have been fined 21,000 with 2140 costs after tional journey permits with intent to deceive. When they appeared before the West Bromwich magistrates last week, Joseph Dean admitted five offences of using permits with intent to deceive, and Wendy Dean admitted aiding and abetting him. Barbara Stubbs, prosecuting for the West Midland Licensing Authority, said the offences were revealed by investigations after a vehicle was stopped and checked. The driver had said he was employed by Geoffrey Butterworth, trading as G T Butterworth Transport, and French and Spanish permits in the vehicle were in Butterworth's name. The vehicle was specified on a licence held by J & D Aston Transport — a defunct company of which the Deans had been directors. Its registered keeper was Joseph Dean Transport, which did not hold a licence for international journeys. Three vehicles in Dean's name had been used to carry loads abroad for 'FIR Freight of Marston Green, but that firm believed it was dealing with J & D Aston. Wendy Dean was the nominated transport manager on the Butterworth licence, and it seemed that Butterworth was unaware of what had been going on. She had written to the International Freight Office, getting Aston's permit allocation transferred to Butterworth, and had informed the DTp that Butterworth had changed his address, giving her own private address. Joseph Dean was the eyes and brains of Joseph Dean Transport, said Stubbs, and he needed French and Spanish permits to be able to fulfil the TIR Freight contract. When J & D Aston fell into financial difficulties it had been to the mutual benefit of the Deans and TIR Freight that the contract be maintained. Joseph Dean Transport could not go on to the Continent for want of an international licence. Butterworth had obtained an international licence with Wendy Dean as his transport manager. The plan was to form a limited company, and the IRFO was asked to transfer the Aston permit allocation. G T Butterworth Transport was formed in July. Joseph Dean Transport has now gone into liquidation owning nearly 290,000. The court was told that the situation would have been legitimised if the "sky had not fallen in".