LONDON,Febrauary22,2012: An Indian citizen has been jailed for six months after pleading guilty to charges of getting someone else to appear for him in his driving theory test because he could not speak English. Sarbjit Singh, 35, who came to the UK a year ago and speaks only Punjabi, was also ordered to do 100 hours of unpaid work and pay 85 pounds court fees. His six-month jail sentence has been suspended for 12 months by the Leicester Magistrates Court. Passing the theory test is one of the prerequisites of getting a driving licence in the UK. Singh, a machine operator, wanted to work for his brother's courier company but had no driving licence, reports from Leicester said. He booked his driving theory test for June 16 last year at a centre in the city centre. A man turned up claiming to be Sarbjit Singh, but staff became suspicious and asked for identification. He went to Singh's home to get the identification, but Singh's brother then discovered what was happening and stopped the man from taking the test. Singh later discovered he could take the test in Punjabi but was arrested when he applied again. Bally Paul, lawyer defending Singh, said her client did not understand how seriously fraud was taken in the UK. She said: "His brother has been in this country for 10 years and runs a courier business. It was not until after this unknown person had returned to ask for identification that Mr Singh's brother intervened and told him not to go through with it, that it is very serious and you can't get away with it like you perhaps could in India." She added: "Mr. Singh has been frightened and remorseful for his actions. He is going to be 36 in April, has been married for 14 years and has two children and his wife and children are still in India. Mr. Singh has brought shame upon the family and has been punished in many ways."
