A “DISGUSTING” vehicle tester could have caused “carnage” after he carried out fake MOTs.

Patrick Richardson, who worked at Paynes Road MOT in Shirley, was unable to correctly check vehicle’s brakes and emissions.

After leaving his role, the 48-year-old continued to access the garage’s internal systems to book tests for his friends and family.

Sometimes getting £45 per completed test, Richardson was unable to carry out official checks due to a lack of facilities and equipment when he would visit the vehicles at their owners’ homes.

Richardson had been employed by the garage for nine years but remained on the test centre’s books as holiday cover after he quit the role to try and earn more money as a fence fitter.

Logging into the booking system, he began carrying out his own MOTs in February 2016. He was caught six months later, when management saw MOTs being completed for cars that had not actually been in the garage.

Felicity Hind, prosecutor for the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency, said Richardson’s actions were “unsafe” and “could have had an impact on the public”.

The court heard Richardson had one previous conviction, a drink-driving matter.

However, Susan Ridge, mitigating, said Richardson was forced to carry out the MOTs as he was put under additional financial pressures following the birth of his child.

He admitted 20 counts of fraud by false representation and has been sentenced at Southampton Magistrates’ Court.

Following his conviction, Paynes Road MOT manager John Mayhew told the Daily Echo Richardson’s actions were “disgusting” and “could have led to carnage”.

He said: “We were told by the company which runs our garage to carry out new internal audits so we did that. When we checked the logs we found that Richardson had been doing the checks on his mobile phone.

“We as a company couldn’t have done more as we weren’t aware he was accessing the systems. We never even saw the cars. It’s terrible.” and a shortcoming because any tester can carry out tests and there is no scope for them to be checked.”

He added: “What he’s done is criminal. Anything could have happened to those cars after they were checked.”

Andy Rice, DVSA head of counter-fraud and investigations, said: “We take the quality of MOT testing extremely seriously, have carried out almost 10,000 visits, assessments and re-examinations and continue to work with the industry to improve test quality.“Issuing fraudulent MOTs means increasing the number of unroadworthy, even dangerous vehicles on our roads.

“We’ll withdraw the right to provide MOTs, and will not hesitate in prosecuting garages and testers who put the travelling public at risk.”

Richardson, of Sherfield English Road, Langford, was sentenced to 16 weeks’ imprisonment, suspended for 12 months, and 80 hours’ unpaid work. He must pay £500 costs and a £115 victim surcharge.