A former vehicle inspector has been sentenced to six months’ community detention and 40 hours community work for dishonestly accessing the Motor Vehicle Register (MVR) and issuing fraudulent warrants of fitness (WoFs), following an investigation and prosecution by the NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA) Safer Vehicles team.
The sentence was imposed on Aucklander Dylan Mark Walker after he pleaded guilty in the North Shore District Court to one representative charge of dishonestly accessing the MVR.
NZTA Senior Manager Safer Vehicles Nicole Botherway says the sentence should serve as a deterrent to others.
“We are committed to protecting the integrity of the vehicle inspection system and we will take action when we find fraudulent behaviour. The New Zealand public needs to have confidence that they can rely on the WoF system to ensure that the vehicles on our roads are safe and compliant.”
Between 24 September 2021 and 8 February 2022, Mr Walker fraudulently entered new warrants of fitness (WoFs) for 183 vehicles onto the MVR. He recorded that each vehicle had been inspected and given a WoF despite none of those vehicles being presented to his employer’s premises for inspection.
To arrive at the sentence, District Court Judge Fitzgibbon accepted there was widespread offending and the possibility of community harm as the cars were potentially not safe and the drivers were not aware of this, which could have resulted in a serious crash. The judge also considered there was a breach of trust with his employer and the drivers, and premeditation. From a starting point of 20 months’ imprisonment, the judge discounted the defendant’s sentence to account for his guilty plea and remorse.
At the time of the initial investigation, NZTA first suspended and then revoked the vehicle inspector appointment held by Mr Walker and revoked all WoFs fraudulently issued by him. All affected vehicle owners were informed by NZTA and required to obtain new WoFs.
The NZTA Safer Vehicles team regularly reviews inspection organisations and vehicle inspectors to check compliance. If serious non-compliance is found, the team ensures that the right regulatory response is applied, including enforcement action.
For more information please contact:
Andy Knackstedt
Senior Media Manager
Mobile: 021 276 3222
Email: andrew.knackstedt@nzta.govt.nz
