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A haulage company which "put lives at risk and profit before safety" by falsifying vehicle maintenance records has been ordered to pay £500,000.

Mansel Davies and Son Ltd, based in Pembrokeshire, admitted 19 counts of fraud between October 2017 and February 2018, at a hearing last year.

The firm was fined £20,000 for each count and told to pay £120,000 costs.

Employee Jonathan Wyn Phillips, 28, of Mynachlog-ddu, pleaded guilty to the same offences last month.

He has been given a nine-month prison sentence, suspended for two years.

Judge Geraint Walters said the false documents were "all dishonest and created in a deliberate attempt to deceive".

"There can be no doubting that the offending was deliberate and repeated over time and showing flagrant disregard to the importance of record keeping in regard to vehicle safety," he said.

On Monday, the judge accepted Phillips acted under the direction of senior people in the company, which employs about 300 people.

Jonathan Rees QC, prosecuting, described Mansel Davies Ltd, based in Llanfyrnach, as an experienced haulage firm with a £25m turnover in 2019.

One lorry's tachograph proved it was being driven when forged documents suggested it was in the garage being inspected.

Another lorry was stopped by the Driving and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) and its inspector found its suspension was defective and likely to become detached.

It was later discovered the company and Phillips had produced falsified periodic maintenance inspection (PMI) sheets.

The court heard the 19 false safety sheets were connected to 13 different vehicles.

Mr Rees said this was "a deliberate and repeated case of dishonesty which has put lives at risk" and "put profit before safety".

Robert Smith, defending Mansel Davies Ltd, said the the company's reputation had been significantly damaged by the case, and the firm "had made significant effort to address the offending".

He added: "The company is deeply regretful that Mr Phillips was put in this position."

Nigel Beeson, defending Phillips, said he had been the most junior assistant in the garage and "this had been a massive learning curve for him".

Additional charges against the firm's managing director Stephen Mansel Davies were dropped last year.

Phillips was also ordered to pay £1,500 in court costs.

Following the sentencing, Caroline Hicks from the DVSA said: "This large company forged safety documents to deliberately avoid regular maintenance checks on their vehicles. This put the public and their employees at risk.

"We always pursue operators and push for the toughest penalties where there's evidence they are cutting corners at the expense of road safety."