12 Months in Prison for Car Clocking
A Scunthorpe motor dealer was sentenced to 12 months imprisonment for 'car clocking' this week following an investigation by Rotherham's Trading Standards Officers.
Jason Raymond Large appeared at Sheffield Crown Court on Monday (July 7) for sentencing in relation to 25 offences of interfering with odometers on vehicles and then selling or offering to sell the vehicles, which is contrary to the Trade Descriptions Act 1968 (Car Clocking).
The court heard from counsel for Rotherham Borough Council that a Rotherham consumer complained to the authority's Trading Standards Unit after he discovered his car had a mileage anomaly. Intensive enquiries commenced and the full exposure of the fraud was disclosed after a two-year multi-agency investigation that involved both Rotherham and Scunthorpe Trading Standards officers working with the police and financial investigation officers.
Both Large's business and home premises were searched and evidence of fraudulent service histories and other car documents were siezed. The investigation revealed that Large bought cars with high mileages from various motor auctions and then resold them on auction sites, such as e-bay, and from his forecourt in Scunthorpe, with low mileages. The motor vehicles were sold throughout the UK, including Rotherham, with some having a false service history and MOT Certificates showing the lower mileage.
His Honour Judge Murphy QC sentenced Large to 12 months imprisonment on each of the 25 counts, to run concurrently. Although he said he took into account Large's guilty plea, the Judge said that people who committed offences of this nature and were caught should expect to go to prison.
In mitigation, counsel for Large told the court that his client acknowledged what he did was wrong but pointed out that a number of other people used his premises and equipment to sell cars. However, Large accepted full responsibility given that he knew the cars had been 'clocked'.
He had also placed disclaimers on most cars in the mistaken belief that he would not commit an offence if he did so and that he had not sold anybody a dangerous vehicle as none of the witnesses had complained about the state of the cars they bought.
The court also heard that the profit made by Large on the 25 counts was about £28,200 - on the basis of the difference in purchase and sale prices - but that he had spent money on repairs and MOTs so his actual profit was more like £16,000 - and he had not traded in cars since he was raided and his company was put into liquidation.
After the case Mick Hodgson, Trading Standards Enforcement Officer for Rotherham Borough Council, warned that offences of this nature would be rigorously investigated and the perpetrators brought before the courts. He added: "Although there were no specific safety concerns with the cars in the case of Jason Large, when a person buys a motor vehicle with a mileage showing lower than the actual mileage, there are potentially numerous safety factors that need to be taken into account for the normal wear and tear on parts of the vehicle. This could result in serious or potentially fatal accidents. Consumers should use every method available to check that the mileage is correct on vehicles they purchase."
Mileages can be checked by contacting the previous keeper on the log book or carrying out a check through a company like HPI (www.hpi.co.uk for a cost of £19.99).
If you have any concerns about your vehicle mileage, please contact Trading Standards via Consumer Direct on 08454 040506.
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