'Dodgy' Stockton car dealer who sold 'death traps' jailed

An "unscrupulous" and abusive car dealer who sold "death traps" and failed to deliver promised vehicles has been jailed for four years.

Simon Retallick gave false promises, excuses and lies to 36 customers who bought cars from him between 2018 and 2021, Teesside Crown Court heard.

The "dodgy dealer" from Stockton made about £101,000 through his fraud while his victims were left out of pocket, some feeling suicidal from the stress.

He admitted multiple fraud charges.

Retallick, 43, of Fulthorpe Road in Norton, operated S Retail (NE) Ltd and Glebe Motor Company, selling cars and vans on eBay, Autotrader and from a garage on Portrack Grange Road in Stockton.

He sold vehicles which, despite his promises, had no MOTs and were riddled with major faults, prosecutor Anthony Pettengell said.

Retallick also sold the same vehicles multiple times to different victims, then failed to give promised refunds.

There were a number of successful county court claims against him, but Retallick never paid the ordered amounts, the crown court heard.

He became aggressive on multiple occasions, making threats and lying about refunds, prosecutors said.

One couple said a mechanic who inspected a £1,395 Citroen sold by Retallick had deemed the car to be a "death trap", with faults including dangerous brakes, a collapsing driver's seat and a CD stuck in the stereo.

Another man, who paid more than £15,000 for a BMW 4 Series which was never delivered or refunded, said Retallick gave "endless excuses and broken promises".

He sold the same £1,600 Vauxhall Corsa three times to different people, the court heard, but made excuses for failing to deliver the car and did not pay promised refunds.

During an abusive call to a pensioner, he gloated how he had the man's money and he told another victim he had spent their money on "champagne and caviar", the court heard.

He told one victim, who paid £2,250 for a van which was never delivered or refunded, that he was not "not bothered about going to jail" as he had "done more time than Ronnie and Reggie".

In statements, a number of his victims talked of financial hardship and stress, with one man saying he had been left feeling suicidal.

Another man, who bought a £4,000 Mercedes Benz which he subsequently found out had failed an MOT and had multiple defects, said he could "no longer trust people".

A pub landlord said his dealings with Retallick left him feeling "stupid", while a woman who bought a van which never arrived said she felt "cheated and robbed".

Retallick was prosecuted by Stockton Borough Council and the Crown Prosecution Service for his car-related offending, but was also prosecuted by North Yorkshire County Council for roofing work he did in Whitby through another company, Direct Roofline, under the name Paul Lane.

A couple paid £4,100 for a new roof surface in December 2021, but days later it leaked and left significant damage, Mr Pettengell said.

Inspectors said it was "bad workmanship with just about every aspect incorrectly constructed to a very poor standard", while the couple said they had "gone through hell".

During sentencing, the judge said in the "wake of misery and loss" Retallick left in the motor trade, he turned to home improvements in which he delivered "woefully substandard" work.

The court heard Retallick had previous convictions for theft and fraud, including for similar offending involving car sales in 2011.

In mitigation, Sarah Barlow said Retallick's "legitimate business" was under financial pressure, adding he was "robbing Peter to pay Paul" to "keep his head above water".

She said: "He acknowledges now he is a terrible businessman."

But Judge Chris Smith said Retallick was the "very epitome of a rogue trader" who often showed "a complete disregard for safety".

He said Retallick's actions helped "perpetuate the unfair myth it is an industry beset with dodgy dealers".

Judge Smith said it was "hard to detect much remorse" and his apology "comes late in the day" and "rings hollow".

Retallick was also banned from being a company director or working in the motor trade for eight years.

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