Man who ran ‘meet & greet’ parking firm at Manchester Airport jailed after hundreds had cars damaged or stolen
A CROOK who scammed drivers with a sham “meet and greet” airport parking service that left hundreds of cars damaged has been jailed.
Mohammed Isaq, 62, charged customers £70 with the promise he would look after their cars in a secure compound covered by floodlights and CCTV.
But up to 500 cars were instead dumped in a farmer’s field or on the streets near Manchester Airport.
Some punters returned from holiday to find their cars damaged and covered in mud and in some cases used without their permission.
There was also a break in at the firm’s “office”, which in reality was the back of a broken-down van, with 130 keys stolen.
Isaq has now been jailed for 17 months after admitting fraudulent trading between August 2017 and February 2018.
The court heard he was involved in three firms – Manchester Airport Parking Ltd, Manchester Airport Parking Services and Manchester Meet and Greet Ltd.
All three had a combined turnover of up to £200,000, with each company claiming the cars would be left in a secure car park, covered with CCTV, floodlights and 24 hour staffing.
Prosecutor Adam Pearson said: “Those advertisements did not accord with the reality of the situation.
“The reality was that cars were parked in a muddy field, or on residential streets. They were not covered by CCTV or security cameras, there was no floodlighting nor 24-hour staff coverage.
“Car keys and the cars themselves were kept insecure, resulting in thefts of keys and cars.
“Other cars suffered significant damage, or were used by employees of the company for their own or the company’s purposes without the permission of the owners.”
One woman who used a tracking app discovered her car was being driven around Manchester while she was abroad.
Another driver received two parking tickets while motor was meant to be locked away in the so-called secure car park.
The court heard one BMW driver returned to find 688 extra miles on the clock, along with cigarette papers and cannabis inside the car.
While one vehicle suffered “substantial damage” after being involved in a collision with a bus.
The court was told Isaq has previous convictions for VAT fraud and breaking fire regulations.
Sentencing, Judge John Potter said Isaq had been the “main instigator” in the scam.
He added: “The business operated in such a way as to mislead the public.
“Some cars suffered significant damage or were used by employees of your companies for their own purposes without any permission from their owners.”
Isaq’s son, Sultan Khan, 28, and daughter, Amani, 27, pleaded guilty to breaking consumer protection laws by negligence.
His wife Nina Khan was discharged after the judge formally recorded not guilty verdicts.
Each was handed an 18 month community order and told to carry out 200 hours of unpaid work.
A proceeds of crime hearing will take place in the future to determine how much compensation motorists will get.
A spokesman for Trafford Council, who brought the prosecution, said: “This is an appalling case in which customers were lied to and taken advantage of.
“They left their cars with this company on the understanding they would be kept in a safe location while they were away and this was simply not the case – their vehicles were misused and damaged.
“We are pleased with the outcome of this case and would like to say a huge thank you to our trading standards and planning teams for all their hard work in the investigation.
“We will not stand by and allow fraudulent companies to operate in our borough – we will investigate and have them prosecuted.”