Bluetooth cheat used headset in her L-test

A LEARNER driver who spoke hardly any English tried to cheat on her theory test by hiding a Bluetooth headset under a specially made hijab.

Hatice Sadir, 41, pictured, was questioned after the exam in Janaury last year by officials who found a device had been feeding her the right answers.

Staff members became suspicious when Sadir arrived at a theory test centre in Southwark, London, ‘wearing a big head scarf’ that she had not worn when she had visited the test centre previously. She had also requested a ‘voiceover’ that can be booked in English or Welsh if a person has difficulty reading.

Rajesh Pabary, prosecuting, said: ‘When she attended the centre she was wearing a big head scarf. She was recognised by a member of staff from two weeks before – on the previous occasion she was not wearing a head scarf. This, coupled with the fact that she spoke very little English, aroused suspicion. She answered the questions very fast and the test was successfully passed.’

After the test Sadir, pictured, was confronted by staff, who searched her headscarf and found the Bluetooth device, City of London magistrates’ court heard.

Mr Pabary explained that the Bluetooth receiver connected her phone to a ‘facilitator who overhears the questions being read and then provides the answers’. He added: ‘The usual fee for this type of service is between £400 and £800.’ Sadir admitted using the device to cheat on the test, but refused to reveal the identity of the facilitator. She also admitted to having been provided a ‘specifically adapted’ scarf and was going to pay £300 for the service, said Mr Pabary.

He added: ‘If the device had not been found she would have gone on to take and potentially pass a practical test. There is a risk to other road users from someone who does not understand the rules and regulations of the road.’

Magistrate Jacqueline Jenkins told Sadir: ‘We see this as a serious matter... However, since you pleaded guilty at the first opportunity, we will suspend the sentence for 12 months.’

Sadir, of Kidbrooke, south-east London, admitted fraud and was sentenced to 20 weeks in jail suspended for 12 months. She was also ordered to pay £2,115 in costs.