A MAN bought a fake foreign driving licence as part of a plan to exchange it for a genuine UK version.

Bradford Crown Court heard that Saghawat Hussain paid £1,800 for a counterfeit full Greek driving licence, which he then sent to the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA).

He had hoped to dupe the Swansea-based agency into giving him a full UK licence so that he could drive illegally having not passed his test.

Prosecutor Alisha Kaye told the court that Hussain, 46, of Chatsworth Crescent, Pudsey, sent the fraudulent Greek licence to the DVLA on April 5, 2023, but a check revealed it was a fake.

Hussain gave “no comment” answers during an interview with police, who found him to be carrying a Pakistani national identification card in his name plus other documents.

He later pleaded guilty to possession of an identity document with improper intention.

The court heard that Hussain’s criminal record dated back to 1997 and included offences of dishonesty, theft, drug dealing, and road traffic matters including driving whilst disqualified, driving with no insurance, and driving without a licence.

Miss Kaye said it was not clear what the intention would have been if Hussain had received the full driving licence that he had applied for “but the document could have been used to confirm his identity in many different ways and of course it’s that that the courts want to prevent occurring.”

Mitigating, Victoria Smith-Swain said Hussain had been capable of driving in Pakistan but that learning difficulties were “a deterrent factor” that had prevented him from applying through the proper channels.

She accepted his actions constituted “a very serious offence” but that he had expressed remorse and shame.

She added: “He does understand the seriousness of his offending and has demonstrated insight into the harm that could have been caused if he was successful in obtaining a licence.”

Mr Recorder Mark McKone KC said he accepted that Hussain’s motivation was to drive permanently in the UK even though he had not passed his test and his insurance would not have been valid.

He added: “I accept that you were not wanting to use either the Greek driving licence or the UK driving licence for any criminal purpose beyond driving illegally.

“In the end your application for a UK driving licence was unsuccessful and so this scheme did not work.

“You continue to have a disregard for the law, particularly road traffic laws.”

He sentenced Hussain to nine months imprisonment suspended for 18 months and said he must undertake 10 rehabilitation activity requirement days to assist him with reading and writing and in obtaining a genuine UK driving licence.

Hussain was also ordered to carry out 200 hours of unpaid work in the community.

Recorder McKone ordered the forfeiture and destruction of the counterfeit driving licence.