Shropshire car dealer sold car with the wrong mileage

Paul Anthony Wright, of Newport Road, Hinstock, admitted four charges brought by Trading Standards at Telford Magistrates' Court yesterday.

An investigation revealed he knew the odometer on a Renault Grand Scenic read 24,000 miles when the car had in fact travelled 76,000.

He knowingly sold the vehicle to a Telford buyer and tried to cover his tracks by doctoring the advert to claim he had been open about the fault. Wright was ordered to pay £1,708 compensation to the buyer, £2,500 costs and a victim surcharge of £15.

In a case brought by Telford & Wrekin Council's Trading Standards service, Wright pleaded guilty to three charges under the Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations 2008 and one charge under the Companies Act 2006.

The investigation revealed that Wright knew that there was a problem with the odometer, failed to mention this in his advert to sell the car or also did not tell the buyer.

When the buyer discovered the mileage problem a few days later, Wright had changed the advert to state there had been a problem with the odometer and told the buyer it had always said this.

He also failed to give the consumer the correct details about his identity and gave Trading Standards information he knew to be false.

Anita Hunt, the council's Trading Standards manager, said: "This was a blatant attempt to mislead the consumer by selling a car with a false odometer reading.

"Consumers may well find the condition of the vehicle with a false mileage to be much worse than they expect and this could lead to unexpected expense further down the line.

"In this case the seller knew about the higher mileage but made no effort to tell the prospective buyer of the true facts.

"The penalty in this case should serve as a warning to traders that they should ensure that cars they sell are correctly described in advertisements and during negotiations with potential buyers."