DVLA worker jailed for 'sophisticated' fraud plan by hiking car values by £1.3million - 'Selfish'

A DVLA employee who defrauded the agency out of £117,500 and two others have been sentenced for conspiracy to commit fraud.

Matthew Holloway conspired with two other men in a "systematic campaign" of vehicle tampering at the DVLA's office in Swansea.

The 32-year-old worked at the DVLA and used his official access to manipulate and falsify records and vehicle documents.

He was instructed by car traders Joshua Sawyer and Ashley Harris to change records and falsify vehicle documents.

Mr Holloway was paid by the two men to make the changes, with financial losses to the DVLA totalling £117,500.

The former DVLA employee was sentenced to five years and three months imprisonment, while Mr Harris and Joshua Sawyer received two years and eight months’ imprisonment and two years and four months’ imprisonment respectively.

In partnership with South Wales Police, the Crown Prosecution Service worked to bring the three men to justice, with sentencing being handed down this week.

One case saw Mr Holloway allowed a Ferrari, which had been written off in Australia, to be sold in the UK with fake documents.

Mr Harris and Mr Sawyer paid the former DVLA employee £23,400 for a range of actions which went around the agency's standard controls.

Following an internal investigation, Mr Holloway was dismissed by the DVLA, with the three men previously pleading guilty to conspiracy to commit fraud between January 1, 2021, and July 31, 2022.

Swansea Crown Court heard that the potential increase in the value of the vehicles was around £1.29million with the altered documents, the BBC reported.

Mr Sawyer benefited from £75,000 of increased vehicle values, while Mr Harris saw values rise by £90,000, the court heard.

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Lisa McCarthy of the CPS said: "The evidence revealed an organised effort to alter vehicle documentation, including changing records to conceal the true status and history of vehicles.

"Holloway held a trusted position within the DVLA and exploited that role, as did Harris and Sawyer, for financial benefit.

"Their offending risked corrupting the UK's vehicle registration system, which the public, motor trade and law enforcement depend on for accurate information."

When addressing Mr Holloway, Judge Huw Rees described it as a "substantial fall from grace for you".

Judge Rees said the offending was "organised and sophisticated", which was committed for "selfish gain".

A spokesperson for the DVLA said the former employee had caused a "serious breach of trust", noting that he was dismissed as soon as the fraud was identified.

They added: "Since then, we have strengthened our internal controls to help prevent this type of activity and we continue to work closely with the police and partners to tackle vehicle fraud and protect the integrity of our records."