Car dealer jailed for ‘clocking’ vehicles

4:06pm Friday 11th April 2008

A dodgy dealer, who sold cars with mileages which had been substantially lowered, was today starting a six-month prison sentence.

Akif Butt, 39, was told by Judge Christopher Prince: "This was a cynical and determined course of conduct. You sought to cause loss to others so you could financially profit yourself."

Judge Prince added: "These were not high-value vehicles, but they were important to the people buying them. People are entitled to receive the best value they can without being tricked out of their money by people like you."

Bradford Crown Court heard that Butt, of The Knoll, Calverley, had been a car dealer for many years and had premises in Leeds Road, Shipley, trading as Cars R Us, For Motion and latterly SH Car Sales.

Prosecutor Christopher Batty said Butt bought high-mileage cars from motor auctions and had the mileages considerably reduced enabling him to sell the cars at an inflated price, a practice known as "clocking".

He said that between September 2005 and July 2006 Butt sold nine "clocked" cars and six more were ready for sale. He received more than £20,000 for the vehicles he sold and made a profit of just under £4,000.

He claimed one car, a BMW, which he sold for £2,800, had 88,000 miles on the clock when it had actually done 294,000.

Another purchaser bought a Renault Scenic for nearly £3,500 having been told the car had done 56,000 miles but in fact it had done double that and almost immediately he had to spend £1,000 on repairs.

In July police and trading standards officers searched the premises and Butt was arrested. But the following February - after he had twice been interviewed by officers - he sold another "clocked" car.

Sukhbir Bassra, mitigating, said the offences were committed for economic reasons. He said the father-of-three had been trying to juggle the balls of trying to pay a higher mortgage, keep his struggling business going and look after his family.

Judge Prince told Butt that he had had the audacity to carry on offending after trading standards officers had visited his premises.

The judge said: "You were under investigation. You knew you were under investigation and you knew you were guilty. But you nevertheless had the impudence to continue your offending."

Judge Prince said it was hard to assess the impact but people saved for cars, worked hard for their money and wanted to transport their families safely and have faith in local businesses.

He said: "Those who go to garages lose faith in them and those who want to run businesses and provide vehicles are less likely to do so because of the behaviour of people like you."

Butt had been convicted of similar offences in 2001.

Judge Prince added: "You should have learned your lesson. You have not. This was a cynical, dishonest course of conduct. I would be utterly failing in my public duty if I didn't send you to prison."

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