Firm broke law to avert disaster
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A CARI)1H: haulage contractor who attempted to save his business from financial disaster by using heavy goods vehicles with light goods vehicle licences has been sentenced by Cardiff's stipendary magistrate, Sir Lincoln Hallinan.
Michael John Peter Hatcher, of Springwood, Llanedeyrn pleaded guilty to six such offences, two of falsifying a vehicle licence application form, two of obtaining abatement from liability and two of making a false declaration.
For the four offences concerning abatement from liability and falsifying a vehicle licence application form, he was given a sixmonth prison sentence, suspended for two years, and for the other offences he was given .1 two year conditional discharge.
The matter had been adjourned for sentence for social inquiry reports and Hugh Price, defending said on a previous occasion that Hatcher had an operator's licence for 10 vehicles but the charge related to only five.
He had been an HG V operator for some years but during the latter part of 1984 he lost a very important contract at Aberthaw. Hatcher found himself with five redundant vehicles and five potentially redundant employees. He also found himself unable to tax the vehicles.
He realised that he would need a tax disc but his financial position was disastrous and he used discs for light vehicles only.