10:01 am, September 26, 2023
A dodgy used car dealer who sold a ‘dangerous’ Mercedes-Benz despite advertising it as being in top condition as been ordered to pay out close to £20,000.
Car Dealer reported last month how Khizar Bukhari has sold the ‘unroadworthy’ Mercedes ML350 via his company SOR Motors, which trades at The Motor Store in Slough.
His Auto Trader advert for the car, described the SUV as being in ‘mint condition’ but an independent vehicle expert later found a ‘dangerous fault’ with the power steering, which would have made it ‘almost impossible to safely negotiate a bend’.
The dealer previously pleaded guilty to fraud, selling a dangerous vehicle and contravening the requirements of professional diligence at Wolverhampton Crown Court and has now returned to the dock to be sentenced.
Bukhari, of Birmingham Street, Stourbridge, was sentenced to 13 weeks in prison, suspended for 12 months.
He also received three penalty points and was ordered to complete 100 hours of unpaid work and 20 rehabilitation days.
Meanwhile, his company was slapped with a £4,800 fine and ordered to pay court costs totalling £11,095.47, as well as a £190 victim surcharge.
The judge also ordered that the unsuspecting customer be repaid to the tune of £3,500. Overall, Bukhari and his company have been left with a bill of £19,585.47.
The court heard that after buying the car, the female customer, who has not been named, complained of rust on the bodywork and rainwater leaking in.
She was left stranded in a supermarket car park when a fault with the automatic gear system meant she was unable to move, and got in touch with the dealer to request a refund.
But Bukhari, also known as ‘Callum’, refused so the buyer contacted the trading standards team at Dudley Council about him.
Their expert concluded that ‘the vehicle was in a dangerous and unroadworthy condition’ when Bukhari sold it in October 2021.
Among other faults found by the expert, the handbrake system was ‘defective and inoperative’, the court was also told.
Reacting to the sentencing, councillor Ian Bevan, cabinet member responsible for trading standards at Dudley Council, said: ‘I welcome the ruling of the court in this case.
‘Dudley Trading Standards will not tolerate car dealers who evade their responsibilities and risk people’s lives by putting dangerous vehicles on the road.
‘Traders who expose consumers to risk of harm by selling unroadworthy or dangerous vehicles will be investigated.
‘As this case shows, we will work tirelessly to bring a prosecution, which could lead to a hefty bill and a prison sentence.’
Pictured at top is the Mercedes ML350 sold by Khizar Bukhari. Image credit: Dudley Council
