Haulier goes to jail
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AN INTERNATIONAL haulier has been jailed for nine months after admitting five counts of forgery in connection with international journey permits and operator licence applications.
Ronald Long, who trades from Wednestleld as Arron Windsor Imports admitted at Dudley Crown Court that he forged an application form for a multi-journey permit, two permits, GV80 application form to change vehicles on all operators licence and two counts of making a .false vehicle registration document.
Prosecuting counsel Michael Elson said the offences arose because Long did not have a Certificate of Professional Competence, an 0 licence and the other required haulage licences and permits.
Long once held a licence in the name of Rothbury Motor Services. but that licence was revoked. He subsequently met Anthony Jones and they became partners in Arron Windsor Imports.
They induced a man called Webster to lend them his 0licence and CPC and that led to forgery.
The offences came to light when a driver abandoned a vehicle in Milan because of inadequate paperwork. He did not return all the money he had been issued with and Long complained to the police.
The police became suspicious and the firm's premises and Long's house were searched, and forged documents were found.
A vehicle registration document for a Lada car had been altered, the details of two articulated vehicles hired from Kennings were inserted before being photocopied to provide copies for drivers to rake abroad with the vehicles.
Using the details from Webster's licence, Long applied for permits and to alter the vehicles on the licence, forging Webster's name.
When interviewed Long had claimed that he and Webster were in partnership, hot that was not true, though there had been some preliminary negotiations. Long had got in touch with Webster after he advertised for work in a trade journal.
In the prosecution's view, Jones had merely been a tool in the hands of Long and that was why he had not been charged with forgery. Long had previous convictions for fraud, forgery and theft going back to 1964.
Defending counsel Herbert Graham said that Long and Jones had told Webster precisely what they were going to do and Webster was going to join them full time when he had sorted out his financial and domestic problems.
At that stage, the Licensing Authority would have been asked to transfer the licence. The partners had entered expensive arrangements to bin vehicles and they wanted to get the business oil thc ground.
There would have been no problem if they had not jumped the gun. Regrettably they had short circuited something they could have done lawfully.
Everyone else had pulled out and Long had been left with debts of £8,000.
Graham claimed that it was a widespread practice in the haulage industry to start a business with forged documents.
Sentencing Long, Judge John Evans, QC, said he hoped that was not true. By these dishonest forgeries, Long had been able to operate a business that in the ordinary way would cost people a great deal of money, experience ;ind qualifications to operate.
He ran a completely dishonest business. People were entitled to assume that those who carry their goods arc properly authorised and licensed to carry them.