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Community service for tacho offences
Page 7
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THE FORMER BOSS of a Leedsbased transport finn who conspired with her drivers to falsify tacho charts has been given a 240-hour Community Punishment Order and ordered to pay £100,000 costs. The firm was fined £30,000 and ordered to pay £100,000 costs.
Jane Grant, who was company secretary and general manager of Garforth firm Whitkirk Produce, had attempted to hide the evidence in a loft.
She was sentenced at Leeds Crown Court having previously pleaded guilty (CM 19 January).
Prosecuting for Vosa, Mark Laprell said that at the time of the offences Grant had been running the company, but not as a director.
He added that Grant had not personally instructed the drivers to break the hours rules but had known it was happening and did nothing to stop it.
When the company was raided at Garforth. Grant attempted to delay the investigators before hiding the tacho charts in a roof space and subsequently shredding them. Only 262 charts were recovered, with 3,000 charts and 1 A76,000km unaccounted for.
Defending,Andrew Moran said Grant now realised the risk the public had been put in. Her actions when the Vosa officers attended had been "a moment of madness" and she accepted that she had behaved stupidly.
Passing sentence, Judge Stephen Ashcroft said these had been sins of omission rather than commission. Grant was effectively the boss and had a duty to enforce the regulations,and not to "turn a blind eye".
Ashcroft felt it necessary to send a message to the haulage industry but stressed Whitkirk is not a "flyby-night outfit" as in all other respects it is a well-run company.