Two men were jailed at Galway District Court this week for operating a sophisticated driving licence scam.
Late Lawson (25 ) and Frank Stevens (37 ) both with addresses at Great Western House, Galway, appeared before Judge Mary Fahy on Monday and pleaded guilty to a number of offences which included being in possession of a false instrument and obtaining services by deception. A third man, Komla Ahiable (45 ) with an address as apartment 1 Forthview, Lisheeneenaun, Kinvara, failed to appear in court.
Detective Garda Noel Sweeney gave evidence that the matter first came to notice in 2008 when the staff at the driving licence section of Galway County Council noticed problems with an application being made by Lawson. Gardai inspected the application and noticed that a picture of a third man was on Lawson’s learner permit and that a certificate of competancy had been sent by this third man from Carrick On Shannon in Leitrim.
Det Garda Sweeney explained that Stevens, from Seirra Leone, had sat the theory test for Lawson, from Togo, at the Theory Test Centre in Forster Street in 2006. Lawson then went into the council buildings to make an application for a duplicate learner’s permit with the third man’s picture on it which then allowed this third man to sit the driving test.
“It was well thought out and executed,” noted Judge Fahy who was then informed that while Stevens has previous convictions for public order Lawson had none.
Det Garda Sweeney said that Lawson had been driving for two years on a provisional licence and that he then made an application for a duplicate to allow the third man to sit the driving test. “If it had worked out that man would have got a full licence,” he said.
“This is serious, if people feel that this is treated lightly it’s going to become an industry,” warned Judge Fahy before convicting and sentencing Lawson to a total of six months in jail and disqualifying him from driving for two years. Stevens was convicted and sentenced to four months and disqualified for two years.
