Ida cheats go to jail
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• An Essex haulier and one of his drivers were jailed at Chelmsford Crown Court after admitting falsifying tachograph records.
Brian Martin, trading as Fastbeach and F B Transport, of Benfieet, and driver Keith Champion were sentenced to eight months' and three months' imprisonment respectively.
Prosecuting for the Vehicle Inspectorate, Gary Grimshaw said that charts had been falsified in a number of ways, including the insertion of false names or Martin's own name, giving the false impression that vehicles had been driven by him. Martin had permitted drivers to create false records as well as falsifying them himself. Any infringement of the tachograph and record-keeping regulations was a serious threat to road safety. said Grimshaw.
For the two men. it was said that there had been no sustained course of action and no flagrant disregard of the regulations. The offences were not sophisticated and there had been no financial incentive.
However, jailing the two men, Judge Darroch said there had been a blatant disregard of the rules. Champion's case was a serious case of dishonesty and, although he had been put under pressure, that could have been resisted. Martin was much more the guilty party. There had been a serious breach of safety regulations.