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'Too serious' to sentence
Page 18
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A Manchester truck driver, who stole the identity of another driver using his missing HGV licence, has been sent to Crown Court as magistrates felt his offences too serious for them to sentence.
Jeffrey Banks pleaded guilty to 12 offences of falsifying tachograph records and six offences of obtaining wages by deception at Rochdale Magistrates Court. He asked for another 96 offences of falsifying tachograph records to be taken into consideration.
Prosecuting for the Vehicle Inspectorate, John Heaton said that Banks was one of a number of drivers and operators prosecuted following Operation Neptune—an investigation into operations at the Manchester Containerbase.
At the time of Neptune, Banks had been driving for Gary Pullen, trading as GBR Transport, of Boothstown, using the name of William McSweeney. When interviewed, McSweeney said that he had not driven HGV vehicles for 15 years and that he had lost his HGV driving licence.
Investigations discovered that in July 1999 a person claiming to be McSweeney had worked for P&O Roadways and Maritime Haulage.
The deception was uncovered when the authorities checked McSweeney's photograph with the Containerbase photo ID card Banks was using.
When interviewed, Banks said that he had found McSweeney's licence and used it because he had a drink drive conviction on his own.
Heaton said that Banks had routinely falsified tachograph charts, driven excessive hours and taken insufficient breaks. In addition the wages obtained by the deception totalled 112,643.
Gary Pullen, Banks' employer at the time, pleaded guilty to eight offences of falsification and asked for another four to be taken intc account, relating to Pullen'5, own personal driving of a 31 tonne artic.
In fining Pullen £4,800 ant ordering him to pay £300 prosecution casts, the magistrateE said that they had beer repeated offences that potentially involved public safety committed to gain an economic advantage.