2:10 pm, June 3, 2023
A used car dealer has been handed a two year suspended prison sentence after he clocked £350,000 worth of cars over several years.
Imran Behroozi Garaei, 34, of Cricklewood, north London, pleaded guilty to several charges including 46 clocked cars.
His sentence was suspended for two years, with 100 hours of community service plus 15 days of rehabilitation.
According to the Evening Standard, some of the cars had their mileage reduced by nearly 80,000 miles and it is estimated he made up to £5,000 extra from each sale.
An investigation by Kensington and Chelsea Council and Trading Standards found Garaei destroyed genuine vehicle history and created false MOT certificates that validated the reduced mileage.
He would then sell these vehicles on Auto Trader or Copart Auctions and is believed to have successfully operated in this way for many years using a false name.
He was drawn to Trading Standards officers attention in May 2017, after a customer bought a BMW 330D with a mileage of 35,000 that they later discovered really should have been 93,000.
The Evening Standard reports that Councillor Josh Rendall, Kensington and Chelsea’s lead member for local economy and employment, said: ‘Car clocking is a manipulative way of misleading customers with false claims leaving them frustrated, out of pocket and potentially even in danger.
‘Illegal trading has no place in our borough.’
Trish Burls, Chair of the National Trading Standards Tri-Region Investigation Team, told the ES that car clocking is ‘illegal and could lead to mechanical issues which risk passengers’ lives.’
She added: ‘We know that criminals have no respect for local authority borders, but this case sends a strong message to others engaged in these illegal activities that we are working together to successfully prosecute offenders.’
