2 clockers who took A MILLION miles off cars doing time

Sunday Mirror, Jul 3, 2005 by STEPHEN HAYWARD

TWO dodgy dealers have been jailed for selling cars with more than a MILLION MILES knocked off the clock.

Alaa Hadi, 50, and Ali Ashmere, 48, bought high-mileage, second- hand vehicles at auction and sold them for a huge profit...with their milometers turned back.

Trading Standards officers launched a six-month undercover operation after a Nissan Serena bought from Hadi in May 2002 developed serious faults. On the clock it said 63,000 miles, yet records showed it had actually travelled at least 213,000. There were 19 other complaints about cars the pair had sold.

They were then secretly filmed trying to sell four more vehicles with a total of 280,000 miles wiped off their milometers.

Hadi was jailed for two-and-a-half years and Ashmere two years after they were found guilty at Harrow Crown Court of conspiracy to defraud last month.

The men, both from West London and on unemployment and housing benefits, were also ordered to pay pounds 50,000 in costs and compensation to their victims.

Lee Wenzel, of Brent and Harrow Trading Standards, said: "This sentence sends a clear message to anyone thinking of selling clocked cars."

DON'T GET TAKEN FOR pounds 100m RIDE

AROUND 1.5million "clocked" cars are sold every year in the UK, costing motorists at least pounds 100million. Wiping 40,000 miles off a car's mileage boosts its sale value by at least pounds 1,200. Here's how to make sure you don't get taken for a ride...

-CONTACT the previous owner on the registration document and check mileage

-WATCH out for marks on the dashboard.

-LOOK for badly- worn seats, pedals and gear stick, which indicate a high mileage.

-BEWARE of out- of-line digits on the mileometer - it's a tell- tale sign.