Rogue car dealer sentenced after admitting fraudulent business practices

A used car dealer from Leigh has been handed a six-month suspended prison sentence after admitting dishonest behaviour.

The 38-year-old director was also ordered to complete 50 hours of community service and was banned from acting as a company director for five years.

Daniel Stones, of Surrey Avenue, Leigh, of Elite Automotive (NW) Ltd admitted fraudulent advertising, advertising poor quality vehicles for sale, refusing to carry out repairs to vehicles and refusing to return vehicles or money.

Six customers - from the local area and further afield in Manchester and Birmingham - came forward as part of the case.

Dane Anderton, Wigan council’s cabinet portfolio holder for police, crime and civil contingencies, said: “This case was a serious example of customers being poorly treated by fraudulent actions.

“We received complaints over the course of several months, and our trading standards team has been proactive in taking this prosecution forward, getting justice and protecting consumers in our borough.

“We always want to work with businesses, to ensure customers are treated fairly, but we will not hesitate to take action when we receive allegations of this severity.”

Stones was sentenced on Monday May 12, receiving a six months custodial sentence suspended for 18 months, along with 50 hours community work. He was also disqualified from being a director for five years.