Driving-test cheat’s stand-in exposed by his better English

A MAN who attempted to cheat on his driving theory test by sending a lookalike in his place was caught out because the impostor’s English was too good, a court heard.

Amir Lorzadeh, who lives in Birmingham and is originally from Iran, was jailed on Thursday after he made three efforts to game the system, including two usages of an earpiece followed by the doppelganger stunt.

Lorzadeh, 38, was caught out at the Cheltenham and Sutton Coldfield assessment centres he visited almost a year apart when he put a Bluetooth device into the headphones he was supplied with.

He claimed that he did not know it was illegal to use a digital earpiece during the test, at the centre in Cheltenham, in December 2017.

In November 2018, Lorzadeh was removed from an examination in Sutton Coldfield when he dropped the earpiece before he attempted the test.

He proceeded to apply for a third successive attempt at a facility in Redditch – his ninth driving theory test in all – which was arranged for November 2019. However, he did not attend himself but instead sent a man with a similar appearance in his place.

The impersonator was highly skilled in English and passed the theory exercise. However, his prior indiscretions meant the authorities did not allow Lorzadeh to take his practical test a month later, prosecutor Justin Davies told Gloucester Crown Court.

Lorzadeh was a successful sportsman in his home country and went on to achieve international bodybuilding and weightlifting acclaim before arriving in the UK in 2016 to seek asylum and receive leave to remain, the court heard.

He had previously attempted to set up a fitness business, but it did not prove to be viable.

Lorzadeh then scouted out other jobs, seeking to circumvent the language barrier through a driving licence, having driven legally in Iran, the court was told.

“He seems to think the theory test is an inconvenience and is an unnecessary obstacle in his way,” said Judge Jason Taylor.

The judge said attempts to circumvent the theory test constituted “serious offences” and observed Lorzadeh’s lack of remorse, before sentencing him to serve 11 months in jail.