A married mother of three, who misrepresented herself as a certified driving instructor, has been found guilty of fraud. Despite her deception, Joanne Sharples managed to help nearly 50 students successfully pass their driving tests.

At 40, Sharples was known for her claims of having a “passion for teaching” and being “patient, calm, and understanding” with her learners. However, her career took a turn when it was revealed she had been charging over £6,000 for lessons without having completed all the necessary qualifications herself.

Although she faced the possibility of a three-year prison sentence, Sharples was spared jail time. Instead, she was sentenced to unpaid community work after the court took into consideration her anxiety and fear of leaving her home following the scandal.

In addition to her community service, Sharples has been ordered to repay the money she earned under false pretenses. Initially, she had operated legally as a trainee instructor and had gone as far as renting her own vehicle for teaching purposes.

She was also ordered to repay the money. 

The office administrator originally operated within the law as a trainee instructor and had even hired her own vehicle to teach students.

But her trainee status ceased in February 2024, a court heard.

Sharples nevertheless carried on successfully teaching rookie drivers for a further nine months until one became suspicious of her credentials.

Joanne Sharples, 40, admitted a £6,464 fraud after being caught charging for driving lessons despite not having the correct licence

Joanne Sharples (pictured) boasted of having a ‘passion for teaching’ and being ‘patient, calm and understanding’ with learners

They reported her to the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA), which licenses instructors.

Inquiries revealed six learner drivers she taught in the Manchester, Irlam and Warrington areas were left out of pocket to the tune of between £668 and £1,300 as a result of the scam.

The DVSA – which has been running a crackdown on illegal driving instructors – accused her of ‘an abuse of a position of power or trust conducted over a sustained period of time.’

According to the Facebook page of Let’s Learn School of Motoring, where she previously worked, at least 48 other learner drivers – including Sharples’s own son Kai – passed their driving tests following her tuition.

However it is understood that most of them took lessons while she was legally entitled to give paid tuition as a trainee instructor.

There is no legal requirement to take lessons from a qualified instructor before taking a driving test, but it is against the law to take payment for tuition without a valid licence. 

Sharples, from Cadishead, Greater Manchester, admitted fraud by false representation relating to two male and four female student drivers between February and November 2024.

She was sentenced to a 12-month community order with 120 hours of unpaid work at Warrington Magistrates’ Court. 

Sharples pictured outside Warrington Magistrates Court where she was sentenced to a 12-month community order with 120 hours of unpaid work

Sharples was given six months to pay back the £6,464 she made from the illicit lessons.

She had started training as a driving instructor in November 2022 after discovering a ‘passion for teaching’ while helping her daughter to drive, according to her online biography. 

‘I am patient, calm and understanding when it comes to the needs of each individual pupil,’ she added.

Andrew Stewardson, prosecuting on behalf of the DVSA, told the court: ‘In February 2024, the process of her being a trainee was brought to a halt and she could no longer provide paid tuition.

‘But what we have is six people identified by the DVSA who have paid Mrs Sharples for driving lessons after that date when she was not entitled to charge.’

He said it was ‘a case of high culpability because it is an abuse of a position of power or trust’ and ‘conducted over a sustained period of time’.

In mitigation, Bridgette Hibbert said Sharples was ‘a lady of previous good character and has never been in trouble before’. 

‘She has not so much as had a speeding ticket and is extremely remorseful for what happened,’ she added.

‘She has greatly suffered in relation to this case. 

‘Both she and her husband work very hard and are contributing members of society.’

Sharples felt ‘a great sense of achievement when employed in this work having previously been employed in admin roles,’ she said. 

‘She accepts that she made a wrong decision to continue to teach the students when she did not have the exam that she needed to pass.

‘She does accept that there was a financial motivation – but this offending was committed out of necessity and not out of greed. 

‘She owed money to the mentor in relation to the vehicle she had hired in relation to this teaching process and was under pressure.

‘This lady found herself in a position between a rock place and a hard place, and made an error of judgement – but she has since done everything in her power to put this right. 

‘She made no bones, no excuses, no denying of this offence despite problems with anxiety and difficulties she has encountered when it became public.

‘She was frightened to leave the house and see people in the local community.

‘She wants those people to be repaid. More importantly she wants to move on.’

The DVSA – which administers the driving test system – has been running a crackdown on illegal instructors.

It warns they are ‘a danger to learner drivers and other road users’ and could be punished by imprisonment.

While anyone can give lessons to a learner driver – provided they are over 21 and have held a licence for at least three years – it is illegal to take payment unless they are either an approved driving instructor (ADI) or a licensed trainee instructor.

Trainee instructors can only take payment for lessons while working for a driving school and cannot operate independently unless the qualify as an ADI. 

Let’s Learn School of Motoring is not accused of any wrongdoing. 

Its owner, Jacqueline McCreavey, told the Daily Mail: ‘Joanne failed the final part of her test to become an approved driving instructor when she still had a few pupils left to pass.

‘I said she could use my car to keep giving lessons but couldn’t take any money.

‘The first I heard that she was accepting payments was when the DVSA contacted me in December 2024.

‘She hasn’t had any involvement with Let’s Learn School of Motoring since then.

‘I have been running this business for 16 years and have operated within the law at all times.’

A DVSA spokesperson said: ‘Approved Driving Instructors help learners to get the right skills, knowledge, and attitude to drive safely on Britain’s roads. 

‘It’s illegal for someone to charge for driving lessons if they are not qualified and registered with DVSA.

‘If any learner driver or their parent is concerned about whether a driving instructor is operating illegally, they can report this to us. 

‘We have stringent measures in place to detect fraud and bring offenders to justice.’