An upmarket car dealer has been jailed for two and a half years for swindling his customers in a £334,000 fraud.

Sean Lockyear sold on prestige sports cars which had tens of thousands of pounds of hire purchase owing on them, leaving the new owners to cope with bailiffs and massive bills, Bradford Crown Court heard.

Lockyear, 47, who now manages the historic White Swan at Middleham, North Yorkshire, traded from his then home at Ingthorpe Grange, West Marton, near Skipton.

He pleaded guilty to 14 offences of fraud and theft, committed between March, 2008, and August, 2010.

Judge Colin Burn yesterday said it was a “professional and sophisticated” large-scale fraud involving breach of trust of friends and customers who trusted him.

Brian Hurst, barrister for the Crown, alleged Lockyear’s benefit from the fraud was almost £1 million.

It was a complex fraud with monies moved around and Lockyear had paid some of it back.

Mr Hurst said Lockyear traded as Sean Lockyear Specialist Cars, dealing in Porsches.

He sold high-value vehicles with outstanding finance on them to unsuspecting customers.

People from finance companies then went knocking on their doors.

A friend of Lockyear who spent £225,000 on two Porsches had bailiffs at his home because £120,000 was owed on them.

Lockyear made no comment to the police when he was arrested and interviewed.

The court heard he was a man of good character with three children. He turned to fraud to prop up his business when he hit financial problems.

Things spiralled out of control and he had been made bankrupt.

Lockyear had turned his back on the motor trade and begun a new life as a hotel manager.

After the case, Detective Constable Shane Martin, of Skipton CID, said: “This was a lengthy and complex investigation into the criminal activities of a man who stole a significant amount of money.

“Lockyear befriended his victims and claimed that he was helping them in business transactions when, in reality, he was defrauding them.

“Although no money has been recovered at this time, I hope that the victims can take some satisfaction from the fact that Lockyear has been brought to justice and will now face the consequences of his criminal actions.”