Man jailed for selling cars illegally

A man has been jailed for three years for selling almost 300 accident-damaged cars to unsuspecting customers.

Evan Beman, 47, set up fake Facebook profiles to sell the vehicles without disclosing they had written off by insurance companies.

He also used false names to register the vehicles with the DVLA, in a fraud estimated to be worth up to £165,000.

Last week, Bevan, of Gainsborough Square, Lockleaze, Bristol, pleaded guilty at Cardiff Crown Court to charges under The Fraud Act 2006. 

The court heard a 17 year old contacted Torfaen Council's Trading Standards team after they bought a Vauxhall Corsa from a Facebook seller, in Cwmbran, in June 2021, which broke down 15 minutes after purchase.

They were left with a repair bill of more than £1,300 and when they complained, they were told the vehicle had been sold as seen and they were not entitled to a refund.

An investigation later found the vehicle had previously been involved in an accident and was a Category C write off.

The court heard Trading Standards officers discovered Beman and a business partner had purchased 292 vehicles through a registered salvage vehicle company via a third-party account, between February 1, 2021, and September 16, 2022.

Officers contacted some of the customers who had bought vehicles and established they were not aware they had purchased accident-damaged vehicles.

The court heard one man bought a vehicle for £2,250 and was given an invoice with the name and address of a fictitious business.

The car had multiple problems but when he complained, Beman offered to buy the vehicle back for £1,700 and have it repaired and returned to the customer. The man was told if he was still unhappy after a week, he would be given a refund, however the car re-appeared for sale a week later.

Councillor Mandy Owen, Executive Member for the Environment, said: "While the sale of accident-damaged vehicles is not illegal, selling them without disclosing the history is against the law and can be dangerous for motorists and other road users. 

"The advice when looking for a second-hand car is to ask questions about the vehicle and check its MOT history. Customers can also carry out a Hire Purchase Investigation check for online.”

If you suspect someone is selling items illegally, you can contact the council's Trading Standards team on trading.standards@torfaen.gov.uk