A Liverpool man associated with an illegal minibus operation has pleaded guilty to the assault of a DVSA Traffic Examiner (TE).
Michael Whitty punched TE Tim Aspull after a minibus owned by his sister’s company Boulevard Enterprises was checked by DVSA. The assault took place after Mr Whitty was told that the vehicle would be impounded for lacking an O-Licence.
Additionally, the driver was found not to have the correct entitlement. Boulevard Enterprises had previously had another vehicle impounded for the same offence. It was also found to have a number of serious defects.
When Mr Whitty, of Formosa Drive, Fazakerley, heard about the second encounter with DVSA he travelled to the check site. After shouting at the TE, Mr Whitty punched him in the jaw. The TE fell to the ground and his glasses came off.
The police were called. A warrant for Mr Whitty’s arrest was issued after he fled.
The judge sentenced him to a 12-month community order involving 120 hours’ unpaid work as well as 10 rehabilitation days. He was also ordered to pay £100 to the victim, a £90 victim surcharge and £85 costs.
Says DVSA Director of Enforcement Marian Kitson: “This sends a strong message that the police and courts will back our staff when it’s found that they’ve been intimidated or abused when carrying out lawful road safety checks.
“They do this with the utmost professionalism, in often difficult circumstances. I have the greatest of respect for them because of that.”
At a Public Inquiry (PI) held separately on 21 August, Mr Whitty was told that neither minibus will be returned to the company. Instead, they will be sold or crushed. The grant of an O-Licence had previously been refused, in part due to the company operating illegally prior to the application.
