7:30 am, September 4, 2026
A rogue used car dealer has narrowly avoided jail after he admitted to selling unsafe vehicles and making false claims in online advertisements.
Muhammad Bhatti, of Motors For You Ltd in East Tilbury, Essex, pleaded guilty to four offences relating to the sale of unsafe vehicles and six offences concerning false and misleading advertising.
It follows an investigation by the trading standards team at Thurrock Council, which was sparked by a complaint from a disgruntled customer.
The dodgy dealer appeared at Southend Magistrates’ Court last Thursday (Aug 27), where the full extent of his scam was made public.
The court heard that one vehicle – advertised as ‘faultless’ online – was found to be unsafe because of corrosion to its frame and problems with other critical safety components.
Trading Standards officers subsequently inspected other vehicles on the Motors For You forecourt and found another car that was deemed to be unroadworthy.
Elsewhere, investigators found more adverts claiming vehicles had full service histories when they did not. Meanwhile, other cars were advertised on the forecourt at prices considerably higher than those listed on the dealership’s website.
Bhatti pleaded guilty to four offences under the General Product Safety Regulations 2005 relating to the two unsafe vehicles, along with six offences under the Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations 2008.
After hearing all the evidence, magistrates handed him a six month jail term, suspended for 12 months. He was also ordered to pay £2,000 in costs and a £154 victim surcharge.
The news was welcomed by officials at Thurrock Council, who said the sentence reflected the seriousness of the offence.
Council leader Richard Bingley said: ‘This action, and the sentence it has led to for the rogue car trader, shows we will not tolerate anyone seeking to rip off consumers and put safety at risk.
‘His guilty plea shows that this individual knew exactly what he was doing when advertising and selling these unsafe vehicles, and the successful prosecution demonstrates that we will leave no stone unturned to ensure anyone seeking to rip off and endanger people in Thurrock is brought to justice.’