Telford truck boss helped to falsify mileage
A director of a truck and plant hire business has admitted a series of charges relating to false driver mileage records.
Stephen Paul Holding encouraged drivers to make entries he knew were incorrect on record sheets, Shrewsbury Crown Court heard.
Holding pleaded guilty to 15 offences, involving nine different drivers' record sheets over a seven-month period three years ago, when he appeared at court yesterday.
As the owner and director of SP Holding Services Ltd he also tendered guilty pleas on behalf of the company on two charges relating to the false drivers' records.
Sentence on 48-year-old Holding, of Moreton Coppice, Telford, and SP Holding Services Ltd, which operates from Upper Coalmoor Farm, has been adjourned to a date to be arranged.
At court yesterday Holding admitted nine charges that on European Community regulated journeys he aided, abetted, counselled or procured the named drivers to make tachograph entries he knew were false on record sheets kept for the purpose of the community recording equipment regulations on various dates between January and July 2012.
In addition he pleaded guilty to six offences that on EC regulated journeys he aided, abetted, counselled or procured named drivers to make a record or entry in a book, register or document, required to be kept or carried under the Transport Act 1968, which he knew were false.
The company has pleaded guilty to a charge relating to the community recording equipment regulations naming Michael Norman Doody, James Trevor Dowdall, John Farmer, Michael Hemmings, Ian Thomas Miles-Kingdon, Harinderpal Singh Sandhu, Craig Jonathan Raines and Michael James Ridgway as the drivers.
Under the Transport Act offence the company has admitted aiding and abetting four named drivers – Farmer, David Huxley, Miles-Kingdon and Singh Sandhu – said to have been counselled or procured to make records or entries that the company knew to be false.
The defendant's former wife, Tracey Annette Smith, faces the same 15 allegations relating to the false entries and her case has been adjourned until September 8 for a further plea and case management hearing. Smith, 47, of Wellington Road, Horsehay, Telford, and her ex-husband were both allowed bail.
Mr Timothy Harrington, prosecuting, said that a schedule for an application under the Proceeds of Crime Act against Stephen Holding was being prepared.
The court heard that the former couple remain under a financial restraining order imposed by the courts which restricts access to bank accounts and other assets and only provides a weekly allowance for living expenses.
