Car brought in illegally

Press, 13 March 1987, Page 7

Car brought in illegally

An English accountant convicted of illegally importing a Jaguar car, with an estimated value of SNZ6O,OOO, was fined $l2OO by Judge Hattaway in the District Court yesterday. The penalty would not be as high as it could have been, the Judge told John Brian Revell, because he had already sustained financial losses in the bringing of the car, which had now been seized by Customs, to New Zealand. In view of the defendant’s possible departure for the United Kingdom, the Judge ordered immediate payment of the fine in default of which Revell, aged 44, would spend two months in prison.

Mr D. J. L. Saunders, for the Customs Department, said Revell went to obtain clearance of his car from Customs on March 4. He said he had owned and used the vehicle for three months before coming to New Zealand. Because of this, he paid $8276 in duty.

He later said he had not owned the car for this

period and that the U.K. registration papers produced had been false.

Had the papers been accepted without question, Revell would have evaded paying the department duty of $10,044, said Mr Saunders. The maximum fine for such an offence was three times the value of the vehicle, Mr Saunders said. Counsel, Mr H. C. Matthews, said his client had met and become friendly with a New Zealander in London early last year who suggested he come here.

It was suggested a job would be available for him in this country. The friend also suggested that in view of the price differential between the two countries, it would be to Revell’s advantage to import a motor vehicle.

Revell thought that by saying he had owned the vehicle before coming to New Zealand the amount of duty to be paid on it in New Zealand would be less than it would otherwise have been.

Revell, said Mr Matthews, had paid £BOOO for the Jaguar in England.