A used automobile dealer from Leicestershire has been jailed for greater than three years after being found guilty of multiple counts of fraud regarding the sale of faulty vehicles.
Lee David Graham Irons of Sileby was sentenced to 3 years and 4 months in prison following a three-week trial at Leicester Crown Court.
He was convicted on 14 charges linked to dishonest automobile sales at his business Reasonably priced Cars Thurcaston.
- Used automobile dealer sentenced for selling faulty vehicles and falsifying paperwork
- Convicted of multiple fraud charges for misrepresenting automobile sales
- Lengthy investigation, a three-week trial for repeat offender
A used automobile dealer from Leicestershire has been jailed for greater than three years after being found guilty of multiple counts of fraud regarding the sale of faulty vehicles.
Lee David Graham Irons of Sileby was sentenced to 3 years and 4 months in prison following a three-week trial at Leicester Crown Court.
He was convicted on 14 charges linked to dishonest automobile sales at his business Reasonably priced Cars Thurcaston.
The prosecution was brought by Leicestershire County Council’s Trading Standards team after receiving quite a few complaints from customers who said the cars they purchased were defective and misrepresented. The offences took place between March 2021 and September 2022.
Trading Standards officers discovered that Irons had sold 12 faulty vehicles during that period. In lots of cases, customers reported issues with their cars almost immediately.
One woman returned her automobile the day after purchase, only to be denied a refund. The vehicle was then resold. Investigators also found falsified service histories and MOT certificates linked to the cars sold. When officers visited the dealership, they found several unsafe and unroadworthy vehicles being advertised on the market.
Along with the three-year sentence, Irons received an additional 4 months for breaching a suspended sentence handed down in November 2020 for similar offences – also prosecuted by Trading Standards.
Passing sentence, Judge Robert Brown criticised Irons’s behaviour, describing his business as ‘thoroughly dishonest’. “You were cheating your customers… providing a service which was not only unprofessional, it was clearly fraudulent. The verdicts speak for themselves,” he said.
The judge noted Irons’s lack of remorse, adding that his defence involved accusing witnesses of lying and forgery. While he acknowledged Irons’s family circumstances and stated intention to depart the motor trade for plumbing, the judge made clear the seriousness of the offences.
He also praised Leicestershire Trading Standards for his or her detailed investigation. A spokesperson for Leicestershire County Council Trading Standards said the sentence sends a powerful message: “Repeat offenders can expect a tricky response. We won’t hesitate to crack down on shameless and dishonest behaviour that harms consumers.”
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