An Auckland vehicle inspector, Dylan Mark Walker, has been sentenced after issuing 183 fake Warrants of Fitness (WoFs) between September 2021 and February 2022. Walker, who was investigated and prosecuted by the New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA), dishonestly accessed the Motor Vehicle Register to approve the WoFs without any of the vehicles being inspected at his employer’s garage.
In the North Shore District Court, Walker pleaded guilty and was sentenced to six months’ community detention and 40 hours of community work. District Court Judge Anna Fitzgibbon noted the premeditated nature of the offending, highlighting the potential danger to the community since the vehicles could have been unsafe, and their drivers unaware.
Walker breached both his employer’s trust and the trust of the drivers, with the sentence being reduced from a starting point of 20 months’ imprisonment due to his guilty plea and expression of remorse. During the investigation, the NZTA suspended and later revoked Walker’s inspector appointment, with all fake WoFs cancelled and affected vehicle owners instructed to reapply for legitimate inspections.
Nicole Botherway, NZTA’s senior manager for safer vehicles, emphasized the importance of protecting the integrity of the vehicle inspection system. She stressed the need for the public to have confidence in the WoF system to ensure the safety and compliance of vehicles on New Zealand’s roads.