A driving examiner has been sentenced to nine months in prison for fixing the results of nearly 200 tests.

Ernst S colluded with driving schools who offered their clients a ‘guaranteed pass’, irrespective of their performance in the exam, for up to €3,000. He specialised in learners who had failed at least four times previously or who had an extreme fear of failure.

S told the schools when he was scheduled to take exams so that they could book in their candidates on the same day.

The 64-year-old from Purmerend received around €500 for each of the 197 tests he fixed.

He was dismissed by the Central Driving Licence Office (CBR) and ordered to pay €23,000 to cover the cost of an investigation into his activities.

All 197 candidates had their licences revoked after the fraud came to light, though 51 have since resat and passed their tests.

The public prosecution service had asked for a 15-month sentence to be imposed and for S to be banned from working as a driving examiner. The court decided not to impose a ban as he is due to retire this year.