Doncaster rogue traders sentenced in court over sales of ‘dangerous’ and ‘unroadworthy’ cars

Doncaster Council’s Trading Standards prosecuted Prem Singh, aged 25 of Church Lane, Bessacar, Latif Mahmood, 52, of Whiphill Lane, Armthorpe, David Banks, 57, of St Patricks Road, Intake and Gorgin Daniel, 48, of Cherry Tree Drive, Dunscroft at a hearing at Doncaster Magistrates Court on February 6.

The four have been ordered to pay a combined total of more than £10,000 after the vehicles were verified by an expert witness.

Singh, trading from Direct Trade Vehicles at a site on Cherry Lane in Marshgate, was convicted of the sale or exposure for sale of four vehicles, each of which were deemed to be ‘dangerous’.

The 25-year-old was also found guilty of misleading consumers by advertising a vehicle as having a full MOT, when the MOT had actually expired.

The defendant was fined £1,899 and ordered to pay prosecution costs of £1,500 and a victim surcharge of £30.

Automart Direct Limited - trading from a site on Merchant Way, Wheatley – was convicted of selling a Ford Ka that had severe issues with steering, brakes, tyres and corrosion.

The company was also found guilty of misleading consumers with false advertising, as well as providing an invoice with terms such as ‘trade sale,’ ‘sold as seen’ and ‘spares/repairs’ giving the consumer the impression that they would not be able to exercise their statutory rights.Company director Mahmood and manager Banks, were also found guilty and personally liable for their involvement in the sale of the dangerous vehicle deemed ‘unroadworthy/unusable’ and in an 'unsafe”’condition.

All company fines were in excess of £4,000 to account for costs, compensation and victim surcharge.

Independent traderGorgin Daniel was convicted of selling a convertible Ford Focus that was found to have several faults that rendered the car ‘unroadworthy and potentially dangerous’.

He was also convicted of providing misleading information in an advert that stated ‘beautiful car in perfect condition’ and was ordered to pay £2,950 in victim compensation.

Coun Chris McGuinness, said: “We take a tough stance when it comes to people’s safety. Our Trading Standards investigations have uncovered reckless behaviour by car dealers that could have put their customers – and other road users – at risk of severe harm.

“Our advice to consumers that are contemplating buying a used car is to fully check a car’s history through the DVLA and its MOT and service history documents. Consumers should also conduct a thorough inspection of the car and take it on a test drive before purchasing.”