Stolen vehicle advice desperately needed

[ezelife]

hi guys i need a little advice


i recently px my mini privately for a mercedes which turned out to be a cloned car and police took the vehicle .


the police then opened a fraud case and put my mini on the pnc as stolen


2 weeks went by and yesterday i saw my mini for sale and informed west mids police of vehicles where abouts and presumed they would recover the car and it would be returned to me


west mids police went to the address and the seller who is a trader says he had px his car for the mini and was given cash as well and he did the deal in good faith , the police issued him with section 66 and told him he cannot dispose of the car.


the police are unsure if they have legal grounds to recover the vehicle
and have referred it to there legal team to decide


can anyone give me advice as to were i stand legally


any help would be appreciated as i am stressed to hell about this
and would like some advice


thanks in advance

[bluebottle]

Re: Stolen vehicle advice desperately needed

Hi and welcome to Legal Beagles.

A few questions -

1. Did you px the Mini for the Mercedes at a dealer?
2. If "Yes", have you been back to speak to the dealer?

What you have is a very complex legal situation. When you pxed your Mini, did you have good and legal title and a right in law to do so? However, until you answer the above questions, it is difficult to give you any hard and fast answer.

[ezelife]

Re: Stolen vehicle advice desperately needed

thanks for reply

the mini was px private not through a dealer and yes the mini was bought by myself

[bluebottle]

Re: Stolen vehicle advice desperately needed

Thank you for your prompt response. I can confirm the police have acted correctly by seizing the Mercedes and opening a Fraud case as regards your Mini. Whoever sold you the Mercedes clearly did not have good, proper or legal title to it as it turned out to be a cloned vehicle. In police circles, these are known as "ringers". However, the unsuspecting dealer who bought your Mini from the person who sold you the Mercedes is also a crime victim, like yourself, as the person he bought your Mini from has committed Fraud against him. The police are correct in serving a Section 66 notice on the dealer to stop them selling your Mini and I can understand them seeking a legal opinion as regards seizing it.

I am afraid that until the police get a legal opinion, you will need to be patient. If you do happen to see the person who sold you the Mercedes, dial 999 and, please resist the temptation to give them a good, hard slap, not matter how much you may want to do so.