12:15 pm, August 4, 2026
A dodgy car mechanic has been jailed for more than two years after he admitted to defrauding customers out of more than £20,000.
Mark Lowe, from Poole, repeatedly took upfront payments from customers before failing to complete the work they had ordered.
He also failed to supply parts that victims had paid for while working as a mobile mechanic under the names Dorset & South West Mobile Mechanics Ltd, South Coast Mobile Mechanics Ltd and Mobile Auto Electricians Ltd.
The offences eventually sparked investigations by Dorset Police and Dorset Council’s Trading Standards team, with the latter examining his activities over a three-year period ending in July 2025.
He eventually pleaded guilty to two charges of fraud by false representation and returned to Bournemouth Crown Court to be sentenced last Friday (Jul 31).
The court heard that in December 2024, the 47-year-old visited the home of a man in his 50s in Maidenhead, Berkshire, who required work on his vehicle. He advised the customer that the total repair cost would be £750, including £350 for a new engine control unit.
The victim paid £250 upfront in cash, but never received the part and was unable to get a response from Lowe after attempting to contact him.
In November 2025, a woman in her 60s from Wincanton, Somerset, contacted Lowe after seeing his mobile mechanic services advertised online.
After attending to her vehicle, Lowe once again demanded up front payment in order to buy replacement parts. She handed over £500 in cash, but never received the parts.
Investigations later found more than 20 victims across Dorset, Hampshire, Somerset, Gloucestershire, Cornwall, Staffordshire, Yorkshire, Herefordshire, Warwickshire and Worcestershire.
While he was only sentenced for the two charges, six similar fraud offences were also identified and taken into consideration during sentencing.
He was also prosecuted for seven Trading Standards offences including fraud by false representation, fraudulent trading and aggressively pursuing a customer.
The total value of the offences was estimated at around £22,000.
After all the evidence was submitted, Lowe was sentenced to two years and three months in prison
The court also imposed a criminal behaviour order – preventing Lowe from advertising or offering his services as a mechanic for five years – and disqualified him from acting as a company director for five years.
Reacting to the sentence, Detective Constable Nick Taylor, of Dorset Police’s Economic Crime Unit, said: ‘Mark Lowe is a rogue trader who scammed a series of customers from around the country, taking their hard-earned money without any intention of supplying the parts they had paid for or doing the work he had promised.
‘By working with our Trading Standards partners, we have ensured that he has been held accountable for his deception and measures have also been put in place to limit his opportunities to target further victims in the future.’
Martin Thursby, from Dorset Council’s Trading Standards, said: ‘Mark Lowe knew his customers all desperately needed their cars fixing but he did not hesitate in defrauding them without repairing any of their cars and leaving many in an even worse condition.
‘It was clear the judge recognised the harm done by Lowe when he imposed a sentence of immediate imprisonment.’