London driving examiner jailed for taking bribes

A north London driving examiner has been jailed for two-and-a-half years for taking bribes for driving tests.

Richard Cwierzona, 49, had pleaded guilty at Wood Green Crown Court to two counts of soliciting bribes and one of accepting a bribe of between £80 and £1,000.

Cwierzona, from Lincoln, was born in Poland but came to the UK in 1990.

The Driving Standards Agency (DSA) employed him as an examiner in 2002 and he worked at a test centre in Barnet.

Andy Rice, the DSA's Head of Fraud and Integrity, said 39 driving licences had been revoked because of Cwierzona's actions and the lack of confidence in those tests.

But he said: "People can have confidence in the driving test system.

"Cases like this are incredibly rare but actions like his can put people on the roads who are not properly tested and that is why it is taken so seriously."