Dealer sold write-offs and clocked cars

A car dealer who duped people into buying insurance write-offs and cars with false mileage has avoided a jail sentence.

Ako Sheikh was handed a 42-week suspended prison sentence yesterday after pleading guilty to 10 charges of engaging in unfair commercial practice.

Judge Martin Walsh, sitting at Wolverhampton Magistrates Court, heard Sheikh, aged 29, of Brook Street in Smethwick, advertised 42 cars in the Auto Trader magazine while operating his car dealer business from his home address.

But the cars he was selling were "clocked" – meaning the mileage was altered and some had been written off after being involved in accidents. He did not tell the buyers and claimed in most cases to be a private seller.

Prosecuting, Mr Mark Jackson told the court that Sheikh came to the attention of Sandwell Trading Standards after a woman who bought an Audi A3 from him in April 2010 for £4,950. Sheikh told the woman the car had travelled 71,000 miles when in fact it had done over 100,000 miles.

An investigation found he had been advertising 42 vehicles through the AutoTrader magazine between 2007 and August 2010. In total Mr Jackson told the court Sheikh had gained £24,570 from seven vehicles which had either been clocked, repaired after being written off or both.

Sheikh failed to declare the correct mileage in adverts for cars including Audis, a Ford Mondeo and a Renault Megane.

He claimed a Mondeo had been driven 73,000 miles instead of more than 150,000, while a Megane was advertised as having been driven 71,000 miles when it had actually done more than 100,000.

The court also heard Sheikh had failed to declare five cars were insurance write-offs.

Sheikh pleaded guilty on January 6. Defending, Mr Ekwall Tiwana said his client was not the sole operator. Sheikh was also given a 12-month supervision order and an overnight curfew for two months.