The offence of producing a false instrument was committed when a document was used which relied for its validity upon underlying factual circumstances, and those circumstances did not, in fact, exist. A driver produced a tachograph record which suggested that he had not been driving at a certain time when he had, and the record had been manipulated to produce the effect. The absence of the underlying factual background meant that the document told a lie about itself. In this case the tachograph record suggested that another driver had driven, and that was untrue.
Citations:
Times 28-Nov-2000
Statutes:
Forgery and Counterfeiting Act 1981 9(1)(g)
Jurisdiction:
England and Wales
Crime
Updated: 05 May 2022; Ref: scu.78001