Danger car dealer brought to book

Publication date: Thursday 5 May 2011

A Haringey car dealer was fined £2,500 at Highgate Magistrates Court last week (27 April) for supplying an unroadworthy car which was in a dangerous condition.

Mr Ashraf El Sayed, aged 33 of Wood Green, was also ordered to pay £1,351 costs after pleading guilty under Section 75 of the Road Traffic Act 1988.

Haringey Trading Standards Service brought the case following a resident's complaint about a faulty Nissan Serena car bought from El Sayed on 15 May 2010 for £1,400. El Sayed traded as "Car and Van Choice" from a car lot situated at 43 The Hale, Tottenham N17.

Although the car had an MOT certificate issued the day before purchase, an independent engineer brought in by the council from the Vehicle and Operators Service Agency (VOSA), declared it dangerous, with faulty suspension and brakes.

All of these faults were deemed long standing and likely to have been present on the day of purchase.

In mitigation Mr El Sayed said he was not a mechanic and that the buyer had examined the car before he bought it and had given him a list of what needed sorting out which he had done. He added that the car had only passed an MOT the day before the sale and did not know it was in a dangerous condition when he sold it.

In passing sentence the Magistrates gave some credit to Mr El Sayed for his guilty plea on the eve of his trial.

Speaking after the case, Haringey's Cabinet Member for Neighbourhoods, Cllr Nilgun Canver, said:

"When members of the public buy a car from a dealer in Haringey they have a right to expect a safe car. Hopefully this case will send a clear message to other dealers to encourage them to check over their vehicles thoroughly before sale.

"It may also be advisable for those buying a second hand vehicle to have their own mechanic check it out for them beforehand."

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