Coleraine car dealer fined for 'clocked' vehicles

A second-hand car dealer was fined £1,500 (€2,100) today for selling ’clocked’ vehicles.

Richard ’Dicky’ Barton, of Dundooan Park, Coleraine was also ordered to pay £500 (€700) witness contribution costs and £157 court costs when he appeared at the magistrates court in the town.

The 44-year-old, who traded as DB Autos at the same address, pleaded guilty to five changes under the Trade Descriptions Act.

He was taken to court by the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Investment’s Trading Standards Service after being alerted by a motorist who saw the car he had previously owned for sale in a trade magazine as having 77,000 miles on the clock when he knew it to have covered more than 101,000 at the time he sold it.

A Trading Standards investigation detected three vehicles that had been sold by Mr Barton with incorrect mileage readings.

He actually sold the same clocked car on two occasions to unsuspecting consumers – it was returned to him the first time when the buyer discovered the clocking.

Angela Gilliland of Trading Standards said: “Richard Barton knew the mileage readings were incorrect on these vehicles, yet he failed to disclose the information to his customers.

“This is a classic case of a trader deceiving customers and trying to obtain money by making mileage appear less than it actually was.”

She said consumers should be vigilant that while the majority of second hand car dealers were honest there were still a minority who attempted to flout the law.

“This case should serve as a warning to those traders who are tempted to break the law. Formal enforcement action will be taken against them; including prosecution.

At the same court co Antrim car trader James McDonald was fined £600 (€840) with £112 (€157) costs for advertising second hand cars for sale without disclosing he was a motor trader and falsely advertising the mileage of a car.

The trader from Ashbrook Park, Balnamore pleaded guilty to three charges under the Trade Descriptions Act, Fair Trading Act and Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations.

A vehicle advertised as having travelled 60,000 had travelled at least 67,000.

In another case when a buyer took a car back to him when it developed faults he attempted to avoid liability by claiming he was a private seller.

Other advertisements were unearthed in which he did not indicate he was a motor trader.