A Fermanagh car dealer has been fined £1,600 at Omagh Magistrates Court on charges associated with the sale of a clocked car.

The defendant, Mark Stanley Allen, of Mantlin Park, Kesh was also found to have provided false service history.

In addition, he advertised 10 cars for sale in the Auto Trader car magazine. In each advertisement he claimed to be a private seller.

In a case brought by the Trading Standards Service, Kesh motor dealer Allen pleaded guilty to one charge under the Trade Descriptions Act 1968 and ten under the Fair Trading Act 1973. Allen was also ordered to pay £1,500 compensation to the buyer of the vehicle and £10 costs.

In December 2006, Trading Standards Service received a complaint from a member of the public who had bought a Toyota Rav4 from the defendant who falsely identified himself as a seller from Dromore, County Tyrone.

The mileage on the vehicle had been reduced from 134,000 to 64,000. In addition Allen also gave the buyer a fabricated service history which supported this lower mileage.

Investigating Officer Raymond Dolan of the Trading Standards Service said: "Allen deliberately set out to mislead our complainant by hiding behind a false identity. In addition, he produced a false service history and advertised numerous vehicles for sale using different names and addresses.

"It is a legal requirement that all traders ensure that advertisements they place leave readers in no doubt that the trader is selling in the course of his or her business.

"This can be done by simply placing the letter "T" at the end of the advert. It is an important regulation as it informs customers whether they are buying from a business or a private individual."