A car dealer in Elgin, Scotland has been fined after he was found guilty of illegal trading.
Chris Gray was penalised following an investigation by Moray Council’s Trading Standards team, which found that he was selling used cars online without the necessary licences. The 26-year-old was advertising used cars on Gumtree and then later on Facebook, with Trading Standards sending him letters telling him to cease his "rogue" dealings, but these were ignored.
There are various things an individual must have in place should they wish to operate as a used car dealer, one of which is a trading licence. Another is a road risks insurance policy - this is essential should the dealer need to drive the cars they are selling from A to B, without this a trader could be found guilty of driving vehicles without insurance.
According to The Press and Journal, Mr Gray appeared at Elgin Sheriff Court last week, where he admitted a charge of dealing in motor vehicles under the name Asbo Motors without a second hand dealer licence. He was fined £360.
Speaking on Monday (8 June), Trading Standards manager Peter Adamson said: “Moray Council licenses second hand motor dealers to promote high standards and to protect the public from rogue traders.
“Traders who ignore the rules undermine the licensing system, put consumers at risk and unfairly undercut legitimate traders.”
