Tribunal rejects SODIT's appeal after revocation
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aSumo Overland Direct International Transport (SDDIT)— which only succeeded in obtaining an Operator's Licence last September—has lost an appeal against its revocation by Western Traffic Commissioner Philip Brown. The Transport Tribunal also dismissed an appeal by director and transport manager Andrew Williams against his 10-year disqualification from holding an 0-licence.
The Exeter-based company, which was founded by former Sumotrans director Thomas Carstairs, was granted an international licence for two vehicles and two trailers on condition that Carstairs and his wife Unda would have no Involvement in its management (CM28 Sept-4 Oct 2000).
However, the IC revoked that licence because Williams had failed to declare a conviction for VAT fraud when the application was made.
A public inquiry in Bristol had heard how Williams was given an 18-month jail term for several charges of filling in false VAT returns. ( CM7-13 Dec).
Williams, for the company, argued that the decision to disqualify him was unfair. He claimed that he had made a genuine error In completing the licence application form as he had thought he only needed to declare transport-related convictions. He maintained that the IC had also been wrong not to give the company a period of grace to allow it to find an alternative CPC holder.
Rejecting those arguments, the Tribunal noted that the offences were ones of fraud. It concluded: "We are satisfied that the nature and number of these offences are such that we cannot say that the TC was plainly wrong in disqualifying Mr Williams for the period specified."