9:21 am, February 16, 2026
A rogue used car dealer has narrowly avoided jail after being found guilty of clocking high-mileage vans and selling them for a profit.
Grzegorz Seczkowski, ran GNA Car Sales in Abingdon, Oxfordshire, where he rolled back the odometers of six commercial vehicles in a campaign of ‘dishonest trading’.
The 41-year-old bought the vans at auction, targeting high‑mileage former fleet or rental vehicles that were under three years old – meaning they had not yet undergone an MOT and their mileage was not centrally recorded.
He then rolled back the mileage to just above their last service records, despite them having been driven up to 22,000 additional miles, before selling them for jacked up fees on Autotrader.
The scam was eventually bought to the attention of Oxfordshire County Council’s trading standards team, who proceeded with a prosecution.
Seczkowski was found guilty of fraudulent trading at Oxford Crown Court and earlier this month he returned to the dock to be sentenced.
He was handed an 18 month prison term, suspended for two years, and ordered to pay £2,529 in compensation to his customers, as well as £5,000 towards the council’s costs.
Elsewhere, GNA Car Sales Ltd was also fined £2,000 and both Seczkowski and his company were ordered to pay a victim surcharge.
A deprivation order in respect of a clocked van seized by trading standards as part of the investigation was also made.
Reacting to the sentence, Councillor Jenny Hannaby, Oxfordshire County Council’s cabinet member for community safety, said: ‘Vehicle clocking misleads customers making a significant financial decision, with false claims leaving them frustrated, out of pocket and potentially even in danger.
‘These vans were being sold to people who rely on them to earn a living, so breakdowns or high repair bills can have a significant impact on their lives.
‘Dishonest trading of this kind undermines people’s confidence when buying a second hand vehicle, making the process more stressful and creating unnecessary difficulties for legitimate traders.
‘Our trading standards team is here to protect Oxfordshire residents from rogue traders like Mr Seczkowski and will take similar action against anyone found to be engaging in offending of this nature.’
Davina Walkin, trading standards operations manager at Oxfordshire County Council, added: ‘We are extremely grateful to those organisations that supported us in this case.
‘Anyone purchasing a second hand vehicle can check the mileage recorded during each MOT test for free on the GOV.UK website.
‘If a vehicle regularly covers a significant number of miles each year and then suddenly shows only a very small increase, this can indicate that the vehicle has been clocked. Unless the seller can provide a clear explanation for the reduced mileage, we would recommend caution.
‘There are also companies that, for a fee, will check a vehicle for mileage discrepancies, undeclared accidents or insurance claims, or whether it has been stolen. These can be useful tools when researching a vehicle’s history before buying.’
Pictured: Oxfordshire Crown Court (via PA Images)
