Latest news with #ZanaMuhammed
Leader Live
15-05-2025
- Leader Live
Flintshire Council comments as car dealer is jailed
In April, Zana Muhammed was jailed for four years after pleading guilty to one count of participating in fraudulent business carried on by a sole trader. The 42-year-old, from Prince's Street in Flint, had, between February 2021 and June 2023, 'dishonestly sold motor vehicles' to customers resulting in a £300,000 loss overall. The vehicles sold by Muhammed were either classed as Category S (eg suffered serious structural damage) or Category N vehicles (bodywork damage, suspension, steering, brakes etc). Nineteen witness statements were provided in the case, with 'at least another 36' vehicles having been sold. The case was brought by Flintshire County Council's Trading Standards Team after they received multiple complaints from customers across the UK, who had purchased cars from The Old Ambulance Station, Chester Road in Flint. Customers stated they were never told the cars were insurance write offs and they only found out after buying them. Extensive investigations carried out by Trading Standards officers found a significant number of Category N and Category S written off cars were being obtained from salvage auctions and were later being advertised for sale on Facebook Marketplace and eBay. There was no mention within the adverts of them being write offs and in some cases, the adverts were changed after purchase to include this information in an attempt to suggest it was there in the first place. Some cars broke down leaving customers with significant repair bills, sometimes thousands of pounds, for cars they would not have bought if they had known they were insurance write offs. Commenting on the sentencing, Councillor Chris Bithell, Cabinet Member for Planning, Public Health and Public Protection said: 'Despite being advised by Trading Standards officers, Mr Muhammed continued to fail to declare that the cars were insurance write offs. Whilst selling insurance write offs is not illegal, withholding this information is illegal and it must be made known to prospective customers to allow them to make an informed decision before buying a car." IN OTHER CRIME NEWS Cllr Bithell added: 'This case shows that Flintshire Trading Standards take these matters seriously and will investigate and prosecute where necessary, in order to protect the public and legitimate car traders. Our advice to consumers is to do thorough checks before buying a car, such as HPI reports, MOT history, service history, test drive the car and always ask for a receipt.' Sentencing Muhammed, Judge Simon Mills said this was a case of 'sophisticated' and 'well thought out' offending. The judge added: "The purchase of a car is one of the most significant financial agreements that people undertake. Customers need to know that they can buy a car from a dealer in confidence of knowing they're getting a safe and roadworthy vehicle. "Yet, for well over two years you sold cars to customers without telling them they were insurance write-offs. You repeatedly told lies about the history of the cars. You ignored complaints from customers and Trading Standards. Muhammed was sentenced to four years in prison. A Proceeds Of Crime Act investigation into the matter is ongoing ahead of a hearing on September 12.
Wales Online
28-04-2025
- Wales Online
Aggressive fraudster sold dozens of unsafe cars and laughed when customers complained
Aggressive fraudster sold dozens of unsafe cars and laughed when customers complained Zana Muhammed, 42, didn't tell buyers about issues with the cars, including when they were write offs Zana Muhammed, 42, of Princes Street, Flint (Image: North Wales Police ) A fraudster sold write-off vehicles worth around £300,000 and laughed at customers who wanted refunds. One victim of the unsafe or damaged cars, had her three children in the car when she broke down in it on a 60mph road before reaching safety. After complaints were made to trading standards the police were brought in. A judge today said defendant Zana Muhammed, 42, of Princes Street, Flint, had lied for two years and jailed him for four years for fraud. Mold Crown Court heard Muhammed got cars from salvage auctions, and advertised and sold them but didn't make buyers aware some were write offs with structural damage. Some had steering, suspension or brakes issues or cosmetic damage. Lee Reynolds, prosecuting said Muhammed posted cars on Facebook or eBay then sold them from the site of an old ambulance station on Chester Road, Flint, close to his home. Mr Reynolds said: "Purchasers would have been unlikely to buy the car at all if they would have known (about its condition) or would have been more keen to secure a lower price." The court heard the defendant gave customers "falsifications and lies" and there was "further obfuscation" when they attempted to return the vehicles or get compensation. Mr Reynolds continued: "The defendant sold a large number of cars with these dishonest tactics." Article continues below "He refused to comply with his obligations (and) became aggressive, abusive and laughed at some customers when they tried to seek refunds." Witness statements mentioned 19 cars but Mr Reynolds explained there were at least 36 more in the case. Don't miss a court report by signing up to our crime newsletter here . The court heard Muhammed used various false names including Carwyn Rahman and Ali Kareem and several company names but "all roads, eventually, after diligent investigative work, led back to this defendant". Muhammed received almost £7,500 in cash from one customer for a car which she had spend £600 repairing. The buyer became suspicious but Muhammed wouldn't let her see the front page of her car's log book. A family friend checked dealerships and discovered the car had been a write off. A different customer travelled 8,000 miles in the vehicle but lost £3,689 on it. One, customer, 17, bought her first car off Muhammed for £5,000 but later found out it had been a write off. The court heard how one victim felt the defendant had them "over a barrel" as they had their money. When one customer said they would go to the police about him, Muhammed said: "The police are not a thing to him. They are working and he pays their wages", the court heard. In December 2021, Muhammed received an "advisory letter" from trading standards a this business address after one customer, Violet Williams, called officials. Then in April 2022, officials hand delivered a similar letter to his home. Afterwards he claimed he had not received that correspondence as it "may have fallen into the kitchen bin", said Mr Reynolds. Muhammed was eventually convicted of fraud. Michael Whitty, defending, suggested the impact of any custodial sentence would be worse for his wife and children. The Judge, His Honour Timothy Petts, said Muhammed had lied for two years and there was no evidence of remorse in Muhammed's pre-sentence report. Article continues below The judge said questions over compensation and confiscation of any assets would be dealt with at a Proceeds of Crime Act hearing later this year.
