Trade-in car fraud claim

Press, 9 February 1983, Page 4

Trade-in car fraud claim

A man had been offered $2500 more for his trade-in car by falsely stating to’ a New Zealand Motor Corporation vehicle salesman that it had travelled about 19,000 km, instead of the true speedometer ■ reading of about 60,000 km, it was asserted in evidence in the District Court yesterday. The defendant, aged 27, was committed for trial by jury on a charge that, with intent to defraud, he obtained from the corporation a 1982 Honda Accord car valued at $14,617 by falsely representing that his trade-in vehicle, a 1979 Holden Commodore car, had travelled

less than 20.000 km. The defendant, who was granted continued interim suppression of his name, was remanded on bail to February 25, pending a date for trial in the District Court. After hearing depositions or statements of six prosecution witnesses, Messrs J, B. Andersen and V. C. Empson, Justices of the Peace, held that there was sufficient evidence to commit the defendant for trial. He denied the charge, and was represented by Mr D. C. Fitzgibbon. Sergeant G. G. Cleland prosecuted. Prosecution evidence was given that the

defendant purchased the Holden car after it had been in an accident, and repaired it. The vehicle’s speedometer reading before the defendant purchased it was about 60,000 km. Stephen Eric Johnson, a vehicle salesman with the Motor Corporation, said that the defendant approached the corporation in September to purchase a new Honda, offering his Holden Commodore as a trade-in. The defendant said it had done about 19,000 km. A trade-in price of $14,500 was offered. The defendant signed a form, in which the speedome-

ter reading was listed as 19,216 km. Mr Johnson said that, if he had known at the time that the vehicle had registered 60,000 km, a trade-in price some $2500 lower would have been given.

Detective B. R. Pearce gave evidence of interviewing the defendant, who said that he was not sure what the vehicle mileage was when he purchased it. The vehicle had no windscreen and had been off the road for months; water had got into it.

He could not remember what the exact speedometer reading was. He had taken a quick look around the car to see whether it was repairable.

He said he had stripped down the car and reassembled it. He did not , get the speedometer repaired. It had ? ‘come right” by itself. He had told the dealers that the car had done under 20,000 km but had never told them the exact figure.

More court news

Page 7