Fraudster paid 'Morrocan man' £150 to help him cheat on theory test in Northampton by smuggling earpiece into centre

A man who smuggled a Bluetooth earpiece into a driving theory test in Northampton by hiding it in his hair has been spared jail.

Fahid Ali, 21, travelled over 60 miles from London to take his theory test in Northampton - but this only alerted staff at the centre that something was off.

It was only when Ali sat down to the test that staff saw him take out a Bluetooth earpiece - which he had hidden in his hair - and slip it onto his ear under the exam headset.

Northampton Crown Court heard yesterday (March 13) how, after he was rumbled, Ali handed over the headset and left immediately - but the DVSA centre handed his details to the police.

When he was later interviewed, Ali said he had agreed to pay "a Moroccan man" £150 to help him cheat the theory test.

The arrangement was that the man was to travel Northampton with Ali and wait outside the centre while his customer took the test.

The Bluetooth earpiece Ali smuggled inside was connected to the man's mobile phone. Once Ali had the earpiece on, the man outside would be able to listen to the questions and feed Ali the answers.

But staff realised what was happening, and confronted Ali about the earpiece.

The then-19-year-old reportedly handed over the earpiece immediately and left the centre. When he got outside, the "Moroccan man" was already gone.

Ali was handed a six-month prison sentence suspended for two years.

DVSA’s head of counter fraud Andy Rice said: “DVSA’s priority is to protect everyone from unsafe drivers and vehicles.

“Driving and theory tests exist to help ensure people have the correct knowledge, skills and attitude to drive on our roads.

“Circumventing the tests puts lives in danger, we have methods in place to detect test fraud and will come down hard on anyone involved.”