Ex-vehicle inspector in court
A former vehicle inspector has been sentenced to six months’ community detention and 40 hours of community work for dishonestly accessing the motor vehicle register (MVR) and issuing fraudulent warrants of fitness (WOFs).
Dylan Mark Walker, of Auckland, was handed his punishment in the North Shore District Court after pleading guilty to one representative charge of dishonestly accessing the MVR.
The sentence comes after an investigation and prosecution by the NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA) safer vehicles team.
Between September 24, 2021, and February 8, 2022, Walker fraudulently entered new WOFs for 183 vehicles onto the MVR.
He recorded that each vehicle had been inspected and given a WOF despite none of those units being presented to his employer’s premises for inspection.
District Court Judge Anna 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.
She also considered there was a breach of trust with Walker’s 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 cancelled the vehicle inspector appointment held by Walker and revoked all WOFs fraudulently issued by him.
All affected vehicle owners were informed by the agency and required to obtain new WoFs.
Nicole Botherway, NZTA senior manager safer vehicles, says Walker’s 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,” she explains.
“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.”
The Safer Vehicles team regularly reviews inspection organisations and vehicle inspectors to check compliance.
If serious non-compliance is found, the team ensures the right regulatory response is applied, including enforcement action.
