C.E.F.N. Tacsi Cyf, a company established by a former Director of Express Motors (Penygroes), Kevin Wyn Jones, one of four family members who ran Express Motor and were convicted of concessionary fares fraud and money laundering, has lost its bid for a new national licence.
The firm had sought a new three-vehicle licence before Traffic Commissioner (TC) Nick Jones at a Welshpool Public Inquiry in July, with the TC indicating that he would issue a written decision [routeone/Court Report /8 August].
When the Express Motors (Penygroes)’s licence was revoked along with the licence of the associated Eric Wyn Jones and Jean Ann Jones, trading as Express Motors, Kevin Wyn Jones was disqualified from acting as a Transport Manager (TM) until he had undertaken a three-day refresher course [routeone/Court Report/6 September 2017].
During the four-week trial at Caernarfon Crown Court, evidence was given that between 13 June 2012 and 8 July 2014, 32 concessionary fare cards were fraudulently swiped 88,000 times, extracting a little over £88.492 of revenue for Express Motors, which it was not entitled to.
Something in excess of £509,000 in revenue was generated by Express Motors which was not banked by the company. Regular cash payments were made into the four men’s’ bank accounts. That money was not accounted for or taxed.
Kevin Wyn Jones was sentenced to three years imprisonment for the concessionary fare fraud and four years for the money laundering.
In sentencing, Judge Timothy Petts said that what had occurred had needed the agreement of all four of the men and they were all part of the plan to “sting” the county council [routeone/Court Report/7 November].
In his decision, the TC said that it was inevitable that the application for a PSV O-Licence be refused on the basis that the sole director and controlling mind of the applicant company had been sentenced to two separate substantial terms of imprisonment and would serve seven years in total. Consequently, his repute was lost. The legislation was unequivocal on that point.
Disqualifying Kevin Wyn Jones from acting as a TM indefinitely, the TC said that the prison sentences were also highly relevant to the issue of repute as a TM.
Consequently, he found that Kevin Wyn Jones lost his repute as a TM as result of the findings of the jury and the sentences imposed by the judge in the Crown Court.
The legislation provided that where he made a finding of loss of repute as a TM that a disqualification must follow.
In this specific case, the nature of the offences and the length of the sentences rendered it appropriate that Kevin Wyn Jones be disqualified from holding or applying for any TM position for an indefinite period.
