MOT fraudsters handed suspended sentences for untested vehicles
An MOT tester and mechanic have been ordered to do up to 300 hours of unpaid work and face prison if they reoffend after passing 223 vehicles they never tested.
The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) has successfully prosecuted 2 men for dangerous MOT fraud.
Owain Shaw, an MOT tester, and Jamie Lee, a mechanic, were sentenced at Bristol Crown Court on 29 January 2026. Shaw issued MOT certificates for vehicles he had never tested.
The fraudulent scheme
The pair set up a system at Staple Hill Motoring Centre in Bristol to avoid carrying out MOTs on vehicles. Lee would send Shaw vehicle registration numbers. Shaw would then issue pass certificates without ever seeing the vehicles.
This type of fraud is called ‘ghost’ MOT testing. It gets this name because the vehicles being ‘tested’ are not actually there - like ghosts.
Suspended sentences and unpaid work handed down
The court imposed the following sentences:
- Owain Shaw: 2-year prison sentence suspended for 2 years and 300 hours of unpaid work after pleading guilty to 44 separate offences - a further 199 offences were also taken into consideration by the judge
- Jamie Lee: 2-year prison sentence suspended for 2 years and 250 hours of unpaid work after being found guilty of helping to run the fraudulent operation
Both men also face having the profits from their activity seized under proceeds of crime laws.
Roads and Buses Minister, Simon Lightwood, said:
MOT fraud puts lives at risk by allowing dangerous vehicles to be driven illegally, and it’s great to see DVSA using swift action to bring those responsible to justice.
We’re keeping unsafe vehicles off the road, and protecting drivers from being ripped off by fraudulent garages.
Through our new Road Safety Strategy, we are strengthening enforcement, making it harder for criminals to abuse the system.
How DVSA investigators caught them
DVSA investigators spotted the criminal activity on 29 September 2023. Monitoring the MOT system from outside the MOT centre, they detected Shaw issuing an MOT certificate in under one minute. The vehicle he was supposed to be testing was nowhere to be seen at the MOT centre.
Further investigation revealed suspicious patterns. Multiple MOT tests were being completed in unrealistically short time periods. This raised immediate red flags for DVSA.
Bank records later showed that Lee had paid Shaw £11,428 for issuing fraudulent certificates. The pair tried to disguise these payments as legitimate purchases of ‘car parts’.
Serious danger to road users
The MOT certificates allowed 223 potentially unsafe vehicles to remain on Britain’s roads. DVSA immediately cancelled all the fraudulent certificates and contacted the affected vehicle owners.
Vehicles with fake MOT certificates could have serious safety defects including:
- faulty brake systems that might fail completely
- broken or missing lights that make vehicles invisible to other drivers
- dangerous steering problems that could cause crashes
- worn or damaged tyres that could cause blowouts at high speeds
- faulty exhaust systems releasing dangerous fumes
These defects put not only the vehicle owners at risk, but every other road user too.
Strong warning to others
Marian Kitson, DVSA’s Director of Enforcement, said:
MOT fraud is extremely dangerous, and anyone in the industry who is thinking of making a ‘quick buck’ should think again.
Our message is clear; if you risk road safety, we will find you, and we will not hesitate to prosecute you with the full force of the law.
This successful result not only punishes those for risking the safety of all road users but also serves as a stark warning to anyone who believes they can get away with committing such a serious offence.
New technology to prevent future fraud
Ghost MOTs make up nearly 80% of all fraudulent MOTs.
DVSA is developing innovative technology to make ghost MOT fraud virtually impossible. The agency is testing a new system where MOT testers must photograph vehicles during testing and upload the images to DVSA’s computer systems.
A recent successful trial involved more than 170 MOT testers across 62 different MOT centres. They uploaded over 13,000 photographs during a 6-week trial period.
DVSA is widening the trial to more MOT centres before looking to roll out across all garages.
The photographic evidence will make it impossible to conduct ghost MOTs. Testers will need to physically see the vehicle in their MOT centre and photograph it before any certificate can be issued.
Protecting yourself from MOT fraud
Vehicle owners can protect themselves by making careful choices about where to get their MOT done.
You must always use a DVSA-approved MOT centre – motorists can check this by looking for the 3-triangles MOT sign.
Before you choose an MOT centre, you should:
- read online customer reviews
- be suspicious of deals that seem too good to be true - legitimate MOT tests cost similar amounts
After the MOT, check your vehicle’s MOT history to make sure it was properly recorded. This can help you get mistakes, such as mileage errors, corrected quickly.
You can report an MOT tester or centre to DVSA if you think they’re breaking the law. This includes if they are:
- giving an MOT certificate to a vehicle they know should have failed
- giving an MOT certificate to a vehicle they have not tested
- taking bribes for MOT certificates