A DRIVING instructor who taught 13 students without the correct qualifications carried out a “victimless crime”, a court heard.

Lisa Branston, 40, of Link Road, Canvey, was given a six-month community supervision order at Basildon Crown Court after pleading guilty to four counts of fraud.

The mum-of-two had earned £8,000, after working more than a year for driving school, Red, without passing the third and final stage of her instructor’s exams.

Sentencing, Judge Christopher Mitchell said: “It’s a very unusual case. You were a trainee and were entitled, as a trainee, to give lessons.

“No doubt because of your excellent instruction no harm was done to these pupils and apparently they all, in due course, passed their tests.

“Nonetheless, this is not something that should have taken place.

“The difficulty is, had there been an accident or any problem at all you would not have been insured and there would have been all sorts of problems.

“I accept you have always been a hard-working woman and, because of all the circumstances, this is almost a victimless crime.”

The court heard Branston had completed the first two stages of her instructor’s exams – theory and driving ability. This meant she could teach for six months while she tried to pass the third stage – driving instruction.

She failed this stage twice, but continued to teach for more than a year after her six months were up in June 2009, taking on a further 13 students.

In September, she received a letter from the Driving Standards Agency telling her she was teaching while unqualified. Two days later she was arrested.

Speaking after the hearing, she told the Echo she thought she had two years to pass the third test.

She said: “I didn’t want to fail for a third time because if you do that you have to retake your first two tests again. I thought I’d give myself more time to improve.” Branston said she is unable to go back to driving instructing because of her criminal record.