Pair conned themselves into £67,000 car (From Asian Image)

Pair conned themselves into £67,000 car

9:40am Wednesday 4th June 2008

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A flashily-dressed conman tricked a top-of-the-range motor trader into parting with a customised vehicle worth £67,000, a court heard.

Rashid Shazad, a £10,000 a year taxi operator, used forged bank statements to fool a finance company into a loan agreement for the Range Rover.

He put a personalised number plate on the vehicle and notched up 7,000 miles in it over six months - although his monthly wage was less than a single repayment instalment.

By Jenny Loweth Shazad, 24, of Leghorn Crescent, Luton, and Mohammed Ali, 21, of Highfield Drive, Heaton, Bradford, pleaded guilty to obtaining the Range Rover by deception.

Prosecutor Andrew Kershaw told Bradford Crown Court the vehicle was ordered from Project Kahn in Canal Road, Shipley.

Mr Kershaw said the business was "the ultimate bling shop for top-of-the-range models in West Yorkshire".

Shazad, who was blacklisted for credit, used Ali as "go between" for the fraud, the court heard.

The scam involved using the name of a third man, an impoverished student, on fake bank statements showing a steady income.

Mr Kershaw said Shazad gave a £6,700 cash deposit for the vehicle but was unable to keep up the repayments.

He wore designer clothes and an expensive watch to "string along" Project Kahn and Lombard Finance.

Shazad collected the vehicle on June 30, 2006. It was seized by police from his home in February last year.

The judge, Recorder Ian Graham, heard that Shazad had "a complete disregard" of how he was to pay for the Range Rover.

The generosity of his family allowed him to lead a more lavish lifestyle than his "humble" job would fund.

Neither defendant had any relevant convictions.

Recorder Graham sentenced both to nine months' imprisonment suspended for 12 months, coupled with supervision.

Shazard was also ordered to do 100 hours' unpaid work.

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