Two brothers who took part in £350,000 car clocking scam avoid jail
Two brothers from Staffordshire have avoided going to prison for their part in a £350,000 car clocking scam.
Slybeat and Nathan Muronda were sentenced at Stafford Crown Court on Wednesday after previously pleading guilty to offences under the Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations 2008.
It follows a four-year investigation by officers from Staffordshire County Council’s trading standards service which revealed the criminal duo began importing high performance sports cars from Japan in 2010.
The pair sold the cars on various internet car sales sites, but the mileages shown on the advertisements and documents for selling the cars were lower than the true mileages travelled by the vehicles.
Models included the Nissan Skyline, Toyota Supra and Mitsubishi Evo.
They did this to increase the value of the cars before selling them on at inflated prices to unsuspecting victims, the court heard.
Many buyers were enthusiasts and collectors who bought the highly sought after cars as investments.
Slybeat Muronda, 41 of Lingfield Road, Cannock, was sentenced to 12 months imprisonment, suspended for 18 months, and ordered to pay costs of £2,500 and a £140 victim surcharge.
His brother Nathan Muronda, 45, of Dimsdale Parade West, Newcastle-Under-Lyme, was sentenced to 10 months, ordered to pay £2,500 in costs and a £140 victim surcharge.
However, Nathan has already served 11 months on remand so will not go to jail.
Victoria Wilson, cabinet member responsible for trading standards at Staffordshire County Council, said: “Car clocking is an age-old crime and is something that our trading standards team continues to deal with.
“Car clocking is where criminals deliberately tamper with vehicles’ odometers to reduce mileage and increase the value of used cars.
"In this particular case, the cars involved were older sports/performance types that are appealing to enthusiasts, collectors and investors.
“This isn’t a victimless crime. We know that not only were people in Staffordshire affected, but buyers from across the country and even in the USA and Canada were also caught up in the scam.
"We are pleased that this case has reached a satisfactory outcome and I would remind other traders thinking about the practice, that we will take prompt action where we see it happening.”
His Honour Judge Edwards thanked those involved in the case for the ‘monumental amount of work on the case’.
He went on to say that the brothers had been involved in serious offending.
Judge Edwards said this was a highly sophisticated operation with consumers unwittingly buying clocked vehicles and the brothers seriously misrepresented the cars being sold.
He went on to say that clocking cars is a seriously deceitful occupation which undermines consumer confidence in the car trade.
Anyone with information about potential fraudulent behaviour should call the police on 101 or the Staffordshire trading standards confidential line on 01785 330356.
