A PART-TIME taxi driver committed a ‘sophisticated’ act of fraud by swapping the number plates, tax disc and Hackney Cab licence plate of an unroadworthy car onto another vehicle

Mark Garside, 45, of Peter Street, in Northwich, pleaded guilty to one charge of fraud by false representation by ‘cloning’ a vehicle to use as a Hackney Cab, at Chester Crown Court, on Friday.

The court heard that in September 2010, Garside had bought an S-registered Ford Galaxy car from Wincham-based Club Class Travel, which was deemed to be in an unroadworthy condition.

Earlier this year, Cheshire West and Chester Council (CWAC) ruled that all Hackney cabs needed to be specially adapted to carry wheelchair passengers in order to gain an operating licence.

Prosecuting, Sue Gibson, said that the defendant changed the identity of the S-registered car by buying a V-registered Ford Galaxy as a ‘donor’ and then proceeded to swap the number plate, taxi disc and Hackney licence plate from the S-registered car to the V-registered vehicle.

Ms Gibson said: “The VIN plate had been replaced with one from the S-registered vehicle but the original chassis stamp left the true identity of this vehicle as the V-registed car, that had not been licensed as a taxi by the council.”

She added: “Garside admits he completed an application for a Hackney Carriage licence on August 11 and admits that license was only renewed by CWAC because it believed the vehicle was the original S-registered car that was adapted for wheelchair use, not the V-registered car that the defendant had swapped it for.”

Ms Gibson told the court that Cheshire Police officers had made enquiries about the vehicle after a CWAC licensing officer was told that the car had ‘changed in appearance’.

An officer found the Ford Galaxy in The Crescent, in Northwich, and realised it was not the originally licensed S-registered vehicle, and Garside was arrested in October 2011.

Garside had been leasing the car to fellow cabbie Mark Hughes, for a weekly sum of £80, and Ms Gibson said the defendant had secured between £800 and £1,000 from this arrangement.

Tim McArdle, defending, said the case was a ‘complicated story’.

Talking of Garside, he said: “He thought I’ll get the V-registered car and use the donor parts for the S-registered vehicle and I’ll get that on the road.

“He took the parts from the S-registered vehicle to the V-registered vehicle and put it to the test.

“The objective he achieved was to get a vehicle on the road.”

Mr McArdle added: “He did things the wrong way around and that’s why he is before the court.

“He made full admissions in interviews and he has cooperated fully with the police.”

Magistrate Hugh Jones, chair of the bench, sentenced Garside to a six month community order of 50 hours unpaid work and ordered him to pay £85 in costs, as well as ordering a deprivation of the vehicle.

He said: “It is the view of the court that you were fully aware of what you were doing when you carried out this act of changing the identity of the vehicle.”