A man has been sentenced in Griffith Local Court over driving on the road with a fake Malaysian driver's licence.
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Asif Khan Bin Mohammad Arif, 24 years of age, was charged with possessing false documents and driving on the road with never having obtained a licence.
Appearing before the court without legal representation, a Malay interpreter had to be used to convey the sentencing.
Mohammad Arif was pulled over by police at 1.44am four days after Christmas last yera, driving a silver Holden Commodore on Wakaden Street for a breath test and licence check.
Officers noticed a number of anomalies on the Malaysian ID he produced, including the following:
- No holographic symbol,
- Different colour
- Variation in thickness
- Different writing font and spacing
- Plastic covering containing air pockets.
He confirmed that it was his licence, and was using it because he had lost his own.
He told officers he paid $300 to a friend in Malaysia who posted it to Australia, without conducting any driving tests to certify right and ability to drive.
Mohammad Arif also admitted to knowing it was illegal to have and use a fake licence.
Magistrate Joy Boulos said an example had to be made to let the community know it was unacceptable to drive without a licence.
She explained that the maximum penalty for providing a fake licence was 10 years imprisonment.
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"I accept that you now have a licence, but you knew at the time it was fake," Magistrate Boulos said.
Mohammad Arif was convicted of both charges and received a $500 fine for each offence, a hefty $1000 in total.
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