A Stourbridge car dealer who sold a “dangerous and unroadworthy” Mercedes which couldn't drive safely round a bend to a woman for £3,500 has been ordered to pay nearly £20,000.

Khizar Bukhari, director of SOR Motors Ltd trading as The Motor Store and SOR Motors Ltd, was ordered by a judge to refund the £3,500 paid by the customer in full at Wolverhampton Crown Court.

The company was also fined £4,800 and ordered to pay £11,095 in court costs after advertising the Mercedes ML350 in Autotrader as being in “mint condition”.

Bukhari, also known as Callum, of Birmingham Street, Stourbridge, refused to give the customer a refund after she was left stranded on a supermarket car park when a fault with the automatic gear system meant she was unable to move.

He was sentenced to 13 weeks in prison, suspended for 12 months.

An investigation by Dudley Trading Standards, which brought the case to court, showed there was a “dangerous fault” with the power steering which would have made it “almost impossible to safely negotiate a bend” and the handbrake system was “defective and inoperative”.

An expert concluded “the vehicle was in a dangerous and unroadworthy condition” when sold by Bukhari in October 2021.

Both the company and Bukhari entered guilty pleas to fraud and failing to act with professional diligence and appeared yesterday to be sentenced.

Councillor Ian Bevan, cabinet member responsible for trading standards at Dudley Council, said: "Dudley Trading Standards will not tolerate car dealers who evade their responsibilities and risk people’s lives by putting dangerous vehicles on the road.

"Traders who expose consumers to risk of harm by selling unroadworthy or dangerous vehicles will be investigated."

Bukhari also received three penalty points and was ordered to complete 100 hours of unpaid work and 20 rehabilitation days and must pay a £190 victim surcharge.