A college student set himself up as an 'exam cheat for hire' so he could illegally sit driving theory tests on behalf of struggling learner drivers - charging £300 a time.
Olivier Yolo, 27, agreed to fraudulently take theory tests for cash at a series of DVLA centres across the north when the real applicants who were due to take them feared they would fail.
The engineering undergraduate, of Lathbury Road, Monsall, masqueraded as a string of provisionally-licenced motorists in seven separate theory tests - including in Stockport and Bolton - after being put in touch with them through his local barber.
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He was eventually arrested when staff became suspicious of him whilst trying to take a test at the Stockport centre in August last year.
It emerged Yolo, who had passed his driving test a year before the scam, had tried to sit other theory tests at Preston, Bolton, Scarborough, Sheffield and Chester. He sat tests for two of his clients twice. It is not known if he passed any of them.
Yolo later claimed he had been struggling financially and the ruse seemed like 'easy money' - although he insisted he never actually pocketed any cash. A theory exam in which applicants are tested on their knowledge of the Highway Code costs £23.
At Chester Magistrates' Court, Yolo pleaded guilty to seven charges of fraud by false representation. His case was sent to Chester Crown Court for sentencing on May 24.
Andrew Stewardson, prosecuting on behalf of the DVLA said: "The matter relates to seven incidents of attempting to sit driver theory test of third parties, different third parties on each occasion, and often in a different location.
"It came to light on August 18 of last year when he attempted to take the test in Stockport. He was stopped from taking the test for Philip Kasende. He was arrested by Greater Manchester Police, was interviewed and the matter was put to him.
''He accepted that particular offence and six other attempts in the north west and north east of England. He indicated in the interview that he had received driving licences from a local barber shop. He was being paid £300 for each test."
The court heard that the charges related to attempts to take the test at centres in November and December of 2021 at Chester, Sheffield and Preston and in January, February, July and August of last year, twice at Bolton, and also at Scarborough and Stockport.
"The offences speak for themselves," Mr Stewardson said. "Clearly there was a risk to the public. Having drivers on the road who have not passed the driving theory test self-evidently undermines the system as a whole.
"Within the sentencing guidelines, this is a high culpability case because of the sophisticated nature and the significant planning and it was conducted over a sustained period of time. There was the potential for a large number of victims, due to the poor road users."
Mr Stewardson said there were no specific sentencing guidelines for the offences, but that due to the amount of money involved, £2,100, it could be treated as a 'category five' fraud offence in terms of harm for which the starting point for sentencing was 36 weeks in custody with a range of a high-level community order to one year in custody.
He referred the magistrates to a Court of Appeal hearing about a case involving a man taking a theory test on behalf of his friend. One was sentenced to eight months and the other to four months, he said.
"That case is for two friends," the prosecutor said, adding: "This is done for commercial gain and obviously there were more attempts in more locations. He admitted it to police and is entitled to full credit for his guilty plea today."
Yolo's solicitor Stuart Flood said: "It was an attempt and if successful £300 would have come his way. He was approached by a third party to sit tests for different individuals at different theory test centres.
"He has no previous convictions and there is a prompt guilty plea. He is a student in engineering and has a courier business himself. It was during Covid period he was struggling financially and was approached. He thought that there was some easy money to be had. That's what’s behind all of this."
Mr Flood told the court that Yolo was a new driver, having passed his driving test in the last year. His licence has been suspended under new driver rules, however, due to receiving six points for using a mobile phone behind the wheel.
Magistrates ordered a presentence report and remanded Yolo on unconditional bail for the preparation of a pre-sentence report.
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