A young dad ploughed his life savings into buying his "dream car" only to discover it had been stolen and for it to be seized by police two months later. Dad-of-two Daniel Davies from Ebbw Vale paid £24,500 in cash for a Range Rover Sport vehicle as well as part exchanging his previous car, taking the total to almost £30,000.
Daniel, who owns his own groundsman business, says he bought the car from a registered trader. He claims there had been "problem after problem" with the vehicle since he purchased it at the end of April 2022 but it was only during one garage trip did a mechanic realise the car was likely stolen.
Daniel then reported it to Gwent Police who have now seized the vehicle while enquiries continue. He claims he has also received correspondence from the trader which suggests he knew it was stolen before being sold to Daniel, something which the trader denies.
Read more: Police release footage of drug-drive crash that killed 21-year-old dad and injured pregnant woman
"I’ve taken it to multiple garages since I’ve had it, I’ve taken it to specialist garages in London and nobody could tell me what was going on with it," said Daniel. "In the last garage they were taking the turbo off and that's when they noticed the VIN number had been scraped off. He noticed then that the tracker was missing." A VIN number, or Vehicle Identification Number is a 17-digit number stamped into the chassis of a car, that serves as the car's unique identity code.
Daniel said that through this he was able to work out the car had been reported stolen in Manchester. He immediately reported it to trading standards and the police. He claims he asked the trader for a refund but was refused.
"I’ve paid thousands in repairs to take the total well over £30,000. The police have basically said I’ve got no chance. I’ll have to take him [the trader] to court or something like that," he said.
Daniel said he has now been left without a vehicle and completely wiped of his life savings. "It was the car of my dreams, all of my life savings are in that car. I started my own business a year and a half ago and worked so hard and this is what happens.
"It was a car I've always wanted and it turned out to be the worst thing." For Daniel, he is concerned that his two young children were travelling in the car, unaware that it was stolen.
"I've got two kids, a one-year-old and a six-year-old. We have been driving around with them in this car. I haven’t even been able to work. Everything I’ve worked for is gone."
The trader was approached for comment and denied all allegations against him. A spokesperson from Gwent Police said: “We have received a report relating to a stolen vehicle. Enquiries are ongoing.”
Get the latest stories from Blaenau Gwent straight to your inbox by subscribing to our weekly newsletter here.
READ MORE:
-
Terrified shopkeeper robbed at knifepoint and forced to hand over cash
-
Wales' top doctor on the rise in Covid cases and when they could peak
-
Trains stopped after woman climbed onto tracks and started walking down them
-
Caravan owners 'forced off' holiday site by new rule costing them £40,000
-
Welsh business decides to shut to protect staff after temperatures hit 35°C
