A sophisticated conspiracy to make huge profits by selling on stolen and high-value cars was centred on a Bradford garage, a Court heard.

Innocent motorists were duped into buying stolen or ‘clocked’ vehicles on auction website ebay, while other expensive cars were exported to Japan for auction, Bradford Crown Court was told.

A Bentley, Porsches, BMWs and Audis were among the prestige motors involved in the scam, it was alleged at the start of the trial of Bradford man Raees Khan, who denies conspiracy to handle stolen cars and conspiracy to defraud.

Prosecutor Jonathan Sandiford told the jury yesterday the defendant was alleged to be involved in a sophisticated conspiracy to handle cars, mostly stolen during so-called Hanoi burglaries, where car keys are taken from houses.

Mr Sandiford said the stolen vehicles, with a total value of almost £420,000, were given false identities, with forged logbooks and tax discs.

The vehicles were disposed of in three ways – part-exchanged for legitimate cars tricked from their owners; simply sold on; or exported to Japan for auction.

Mr Sandiford said the conspiracy to defraud was substantial and sophisticated, involving the purchase of high-mileage vehicles which were then clocked to make them appear to have a much lower mileage.

The cars were then sold, mainly on ebay, to innocent buyers for profit, using false documentation such as MOTs and service records.

The prosecutor told the jury: “The criminality involved in both cases was motivated by one thing – profit. It was profitable to deal with these stolen vehicles and profitable to deal in clocked vehicles. These were just ways of making money.”

He alleged the defendant conspired with brothers Taqi and Mazhar Mir, who lived at the time in Duckworth Lane, Bradford, and controlled or owned a garage and car lot in Allerton Road, Bradford, which traded under a number of names, including TM Motors, TM Imports, Mir Motors and Autopoint GB Ltd.

The first conspiracy to handle stolen cars is alleged to have taken place between September 2008 and August 2009, and the second conspiracy to defraud from March 2008 to June 2009.

Mr Sandiford said the brothers had pleaded guilty to both conspiracies.

He said 33-year-old Khan, of Wilmer Drive, Heaton, Bradford, was connected to the garage, opening an auction house account on behalf of Mir Motors and being a director of Autopoint Ltd. His fingerprints were also found on a blank MOT certificate at the premises, the prosecutor claimed.

He went on: “The prosecution say these premises at Allerton Road were used to receive stolen vehicles, store them, and as a workshop where their identities could be changed.

“We say the clocked motor vehicles were purchased and taken to Allerton Road. There they must have had the mileages altered, the fake service histories and fake MOT certificates were created. Those vehicles were then sold from those premises.”

Mr Sandiford said 20 vehicles were involved in the first conspiracy, 18 of which had been stolen. They were valued at a total of £419,380. Twenty-one vehicles were involved in the second conspiracy, with a total value of £90,741.

He said Khan was arrested in Canal Road, Bradford, while on a shopping trip with his family.

The trial continues.