Two motor traders have been prosecuted by Caerphilly County Borough Council following separate investigations by its Trading Standards department.
On Friday, July 21, Newport Magistrates’ Court was told how John Byron Hawkey, 47, of Emanuel Close, Caerphilly, had sold a 2010 Citroen C1 in a dangerous and unsafe condition to an unsuspecting buyer.
Hawkey had advertised the car for sale through website Gumtree, falsely claiming it had a full service history and that it was in an excellent condition. In fact, the car was an insurance write-off – something Hawley failed to mention to the buyer.
He admitted four charges under consumer protection regulations and one charge under product safety regulations.
He was fined £1,060, ordered to pay compensation to the consumer of £1,385, costs to the council of £1,000 and a victim surcharge of £40.
In a separate investigation, Trading Standards also prosecuted 34-year-old Jaroslaw Mankus, from Cardiff, who sold a faulty Ford Mondeo to a buyer from Caerphilly.
At Newport Magistrates’ Court on July 21, he admitted four charges under consumer protection regulations and one charge under the Companies Act 2006.
Mankus, who traded as Service Cars, was fined £1,365, ordered to pay compensation to the customer of £993.42 and costs to the council of £1,500.