40 year-old Muhammed Saeed was sentenced to two years in jail at Birmingham Crown Court for committing fraud. The Urdu translator hid the answers to driving theory tests in the guise of verbal symbols for fees of £120.00. His clientele expanded to citizens of Kent, Luton and Bradford and drew the attention of the Driving Standards Agency.
Officer in charge DC Mark Calvert said: “It seems Saeed was establishing a reputation as a theory test ‘fixer’ in the Muslim community for anyone struggling to pass (…) at the start of each test translators have to read out a vow which states ‘I confirm I will not do anything to affect the integrity of the test and understand that by assisting a candidate I may be committing a criminal offence' (…) He obviously thought it was easy money and that, as the cheat’s code was in Urdu, assumed the DSA and police would be oblivious to his scheme. He was wrong and is now paying the price for his con.”
An independent interpreter deciphered that Saeed was using the Urdu word 'you' to mean 'yes' to help the prospective candidates. Among the many hopeful HGV and bus-drivers who Saeed assisted through the assessments, three had failed more than 15 times before turning to him for help, while another had tried a total of 25 times.
Saeed pled guilty to six counts of fraud. His case is one of many that has led to the DSA's decision to axe foreign language support on driving tests which has been in effect since April.
