A student in Bristol told police the defendant had charged her £70 whilst another said they had been charged £550 in total for lessons
A lot of drivers can get the signs confused(Image: Getty Images)
A Bristol man was caught charging learner drivers for lessons despite being unregistered and unqualified as a driving instructor. Mobashir Gujar, 42, of Mayfield Park, Bristol, was caught on one occasion after he was seen arriving at a test centre with a learner who failed her practical test with a major fault.
Gujar had been issued with two warnings by the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) telling him he was committing an offence by providing driving lessons when he was not registered to do so. The defendant was disqualified from driving in June 2023 and his driving licence expired in 2021.
A sentencing hearing at Newport Crown Court on Thursday heard a woman attended Llanishen Driving Test Centre in Cardiff at 8.28am on November 29, 2023, and was seen arriving in an MG car with Gujar in the passenger seat. There was another woman sitting in the rear of the vehicle who was believed to be the defendant’s partner.
An officer from the DVSA observed the vehicle being driven for a further 10 minutes before it stopped and Gujar got out of the car and walked towards a Greggs shop nearby. The student and Gujar’s partner attended the test centre and the student underwent her test but it was cut short after she committed a major fault.
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The woman and the defendant’s partner were seen to leave the test centre in the MG before Gujar was seen walking from Greggs and getting into the vehicle. Officers from South Wales Police pulled the MG over and spoke to the student who confirmed she had paid the defendant for driving lessons believing him to be a registered instructor.
She went on to say she had received paid instruction by Gujar since September 2023 charging her £35 an hour and £120 for the use of his MG during her test as well as £87 for her insurance. She paid the defendant £550 in total for lessons. Prosecutor Nik Strobl said the defendant was arrested and interviewed but claimed he was a “free man” and not subject to the police’s jurisdiction.
Having been released under investigation Gujar was again seen in a vehicle, a Honda Jazz, with two students prior to them arriving at Llanishen Driving Test Centre, on December 1, 2023. An officer from the DVSA spoke to one of the students who confirmed the defendant as her driving instructor and had paid for 20 hours of lessons costing £480 in total.
The woman told officers she believed Gujar to be an approved and registered driving instructor. The male student was also spoken to and said he had received lessons from the defendant and had paid £942.
Gujar was again caught providing a student a lesson in Bristol on March 9, 2024, when he was stopped by officers from Avon and Somerset Police. The female student was asked how much the defendant had charged her for lessons and Gujar told her not to answer the officer’s questions, adding: “I don’t take money from you.”
He refused to provide his car keys to the officers and the student confirmed the defendant charged her £70. Gujar continued to refuse to comply with officers’ requests and when warned he would be committing a criminal offence if he was obstructive he replied: “I don’t give a s***”. As a result he was arrested.
The defendant, of Mayfield Park, Bristol, later pleaded guilty to three counts of fraud by false representation, three counts of giving paid instruction without fixing/exhibiting on a vehicle a current certificate/licence of authorisation, dishonestly fail to disclose information to make a gain for self/another or cause/expose other to a loss, and driving without a licence.
In mitigation Ylenia Rosso said her client started giving lessons innocently but as he gained more clients continued in a dishonest way. The barrister said the defendant helps to care for his mother and his disabled sister as well as his own children.
Sentencing, Judge Simon Mills told the defendant he had “put people at risk as a result of his actions”. Gujar was sentenced to 18 months imprisonment suspended for two years.
He was also ordered to carry out 180 hours of unpaid work and complete a 15-day rehabilitation activity requirement.
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