Andrew Eburne Jailed Four Years for Bogus HGV Driver Medical Tests Scam
Andrew Eburne, 51, has been sentenced to four years in prison for his role in a fraudulent scheme that provided thousands of bogus medical tests to HGV, bus, and taxi drivers across the UK. His company, Doctors on Wheels, promised “cheap medicals” but was found to be using unqualified individuals to sign off drivers as fit, with some consultations lasting mere minutes in lay-bys and motorway service stations.
Public Safety Compromised by Fraudulent Practices
Trading standards investigators revealed that the scam endangered public safety, citing cases where a driver with a glass eye was recorded as having perfect vision and another who was profoundly deaf received a “full pass.” Judge Huw Rees, sentencing Eburne, stated he had “put profit before safety” and played “a leading role” in “business dealings served to compromise public safety.”
Doctors on Wheels charged “just under £60” for the D4 medicals, undercutting legitimate providers. The fraud, valued at £681,699, involved using a stamp with a doctor’s printed signature to process dozens of tests daily. Undercover investigators documented instances of staff providing answers during eye tests and allowing patients to complete medical forms themselves, without proper identity verification.
The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) ceased accepting D4 medical reports from Doctors on Wheels in June 2019 following concerns raised by the General Medical Council in 2017 and a rival medical test company. Dr. Adrian Mosescu, one of the doctors whose signature was used, was struck off by the General Medical Council, while Dr. Ronald James had his registration suspended for 12 months. Criminal charges against both doctors were dropped.
Eburne, from Burbage, denied participating in a fraudulent business but was convicted at Swansea Crown Court in April. A Proceeds of Crime Act hearing is scheduled for December.
