A man who sold a stolen BMW fitted with false plates been sentenced

Talat Ali

A man who sold a stolen BMW fitted with false plates to an unsuspecting owner has been convicted.

Talat Ali (born 03/01/1980), of Milnrow Road, Rochdale, pleaded guilty to fraud by false representation and handling stolen goods at an earlier hearing.

Today, 20 October 2014, he was sentenced at Minshull Street Crown Court to 10 months for handling stolen goods and 5 months for fraud by false representation, to run consecutively.

Ali was involved in a car ringing scam which resulted in a stolen BMW being fitted with false plates. The black BMW was stolen by thieves from the Cheshire area on 29 January 2014.

In mid-February, the car was advertised through eBay and the seller identified himself as Tanvir Ali. The victim made a number of bids but lost the auction. However, he texted 'Tanvir Ali' a few days later and offered £15,000 for the car.

The pair entered into negotiations to buy the car and the victim was sent scanned paperwork, including a V5 document, for a BMW with a false registration number.

The victim met 'Tanvir Ali' on Ashfield Road in Rochdale on Thursday 20 February 2014 and bought the car for £14,000. However, the victim soon discovered the car’s identity had been changed and called the police. The car's true registration was found to be that of the car stolen from Cheshire the previous month.

When officers forensically examined the car, they found fingerprints belonging to Talat Ali, who had posed as 'Tanvir Ali' during the sale.

Detective Constable Chris Nield from the Fraud Investigation Team said: "When Ali was interviewed, he eventually admitted he sold the stolen car under duress from a local gang so he could pay off a drugs debt. He was clearly in way over his head with some local criminals and agreed to be the fall guy for them.

"Car ringing can be a lucrative criminal enterprise for organised crime groups and what this case demonstrates is that these organised criminal networks will rope in low-level criminals to do their dirty work for them. I hope it sends a message to anyone who gets involved in low-level criminality that if you do become embroiled in this world, you could get dragged into much more serious offences and end up taking the fall for others who could not care less about you.

“Ali played a vital part in this offence and this was reflected in the sentence handed down.

"We must also remember that car ringing creates misery for the victims involved. Not only those who have their privacy invaded and their cars stolen, but those unsuspecting buyers who purchase cars in good faith only to find out they have been duped.

"Buying through eBay can be fraught with difficulties so I would urge anyone wanting to buy a car to do so through a licensed dealer or ensure you make thorough checks with the DVLA before you hand over any money.

"If you have any information about stolen vehicles being sold in your area, you can contact Crimestoppers anonymously by phone on 0800 555 111, or online at www.crimestoppers-uk.org/, or you can call 101 directly for the police."