7:30 am, May 27, 2025
Trading Standards have fired a warning to used car traders who want to ‘ride rough-shod over consumer rights’ after a dodgy dealer was put behind bars.
Shaffarat Parvez, 37, was handed an eight month prison term for breaching an existing Criminal Behaviour Order (CBO) in relation to his used car business in Peterborough.
Trading under several different names – including Carzona and Haxton Car Group – the company repeatedly broke consumer protection laws by selling faulty cars and refusing to rectify issues.
Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Trading Standards previously led a successful prosecution against the car dealer in 2020, leading to the CBO being imposed and a suspended sentence being handed down.
The terms of the CBO required Parvez to deal with consumer complaints about faulty goods and keep records of complaints made and any action taken, as well as handing out training to any staff he employed.
However, a recent hearing at Cambridge Crown Court heard that he continued to breach the order with customers reporting several faults, followed by issues getting repairs or refunds.
He was convicted of breaching the order back in November and has now returned to court to be sentenced.
Addressing Parvez, the judge Lowe said said a custodial term was the only option to ‘properly reflect the seriousness’ of the car dealer’s actions.
He said: ‘[Parvez] did not simply behave in the way he did in breach of a suspended sentence. He did so in relation to 12 separate individual consumers.
‘He did so over a period of over a year. He did so, having tried to hide what he was doing behind multiple entities and identities. And in my judgment, this is one of those relatively rare cases where a short sentence should be immediate to properly reflect the seriousness of what this defendant has done.’
Reacting to the sentence, local councillors said the decision sent a strong message to other dodgy dealers.
Cllr Alison Jones, cabinet member for housing and communities at Peterbrough City Council, said: ‘The sentence imposed by Cambridge Crown Court sends a strong message to the car sector that they cannot ride rough-shod over consumer rights in Peterborough.
‘For many people, the purchase of a car is the biggest financial outlay they ever make, and it is imperative that appropriate redress is provided when the customer is entitled to it by law.
‘We are lucky enough to have some very reputable car traders in Peterborough and I would urge all residents to do their research when it comes to finding a car trader they can trust.
‘The Citizens Advice Consumer Service offers some great advice on what to look for.’
