Plasterer falls victim to conman (From Bradford Telegraph and Argus)
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Businessmen stung by car clock scam calls on judge in fraudster’s trial to make him ‘pay’
7:00am Saturday 5th May 2012 in News
By James Rush, T&A Reporter
John Geater with his new van
A Bradford plasterer who bought a van which had nearly 60,000 miles taken off the clock has urged a judge to lock up the fraudster who conned him.
John Geator, 52, who runs JG Plastering, paid £6,200 for the 06 plate Ford Transit from Premier Van Centre in August 2009.
He later found out the van, which had been advertised with 38,527 miles, had actually done more than 96,000 miles.
He went on to lose more than £3,000 in 12 months when he sold the van on, due to the discrepancy in the mileage.
Maxwell Stuart Alvey, 50, was due to be sentenced at Nottingham Crown Court yesterday after wiping millions of miles off the clocks of more than 100 vans, but had his sentencing delayed.
Alvey, of Gedling Road in Arnold, Nottingham, bought the vans at auction and tampered with their mileage between August 2009 and June 2010 in a bid to increase their value, Nottinghamshire County Council said.
He admitted ten counts of fraud at an earlier hearing.
Mr Geator yesterday urged the judge, John Milmo QC, who adjourned sentencing until July 27 for further reports, to make Alvey “pay”.
He told the Telegraph & Argus: “I hope he gets a minimum of five years. It’s got to be shown that it’s not acceptable what he’s done.
“If it’s 100 vans and individual people that have purchased them from him, then he’s hurt 100 people. He’s pick-pocketed 100 people. He should be made to pay.”
Alvey had told Mr Geator the van had low mileage because it had only been used as a run-around by a carpet company in Nottingham.
When Mr Geator went to see the van everything appeared to be in order.
Mr Geator said Alvey told him a garage must still have the service history book and that he would forward it on but it was never sent.
Trading Standards officers started the probe after they received a number of complaints that vehicles bought from Alvey’s company.
