Rogue salesman failed to deliver cars and promised refunds that never came in £100,000 fraud

A fraudulent car salesman sold the same vehicle to multiple customers; failed to deliver cars after people had paid and delivered faulty vehicles to others.

Simon Retallick, 43, gave "excuse after excuse" to punters who were waiting in at home for their cars to be delivered. He told one man that he had "left the car outside KFC" and another that the snow and blizzards on the A66 prevented the delivery, despite online traffic reports showing that the roads were problem-free.

When one customer contacted Retallick over a faulty car he'd sold, he told the man he would have to drop his complaint with trading standards if he wanted a refund: "I've done more jail time than Ronnie and Reggie" Retallick boasted, in a phone call recorded by the customer, "I don't give a f*** about going to jail, but you wouldn't get one pence."

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In an extended sentencing hearing on Monday, Teesside Crown Court heard that Retallick repeatedly sold cars via Ebay, that had failed their MOT's; he sold some of his cars twice over; and pretended he had refunded customers who never got their money back.

Anthony Pettengell, prosecuting, said that some of the customers involved had to borrow money to buy another car; and others became angry and depressed as Retallick simply told them to "f*** off" when they complained. One man was forced to leave his job because he could not get there without transport after Retallick ripped him off.

Retallick, of Fulthorpe Road in Norton, Stockton, operated his car sales business under two company names - Glebe Motor Company and S Retail north east Limited. He pleaded guilty to perverting the course of justice and to multiple counts of fraud. He has a previous conviction for fraud in the motor trade

Retallick sat in the dock as a list of the customers he defrauded between 2018 and 2021 was read out. In total he stole £101,480.34 from 37 separate victims. Despite some of the victims successfully recouping payments they had made to Retallick, from their banks and from Paypal; they were left out of pocket by a total of £73, 339.

The court heard how one woman part exchanged a Mini she had bought off Retallick, for a Vauxhall Corsa, in October 2018. When it was delivered to her home on November 11, she found out that it had failed it's MOT three days earlier.

The car had a faulty gearbox and problems with the clutch and it was returned to Retallick. He promised to get the problems fixed; but later returned the car with the same outstanding faults. Retalliack became "aggressive" and refused to give a refund. When the customer sued him in the civil court, she was awarded £1,782.70 - but Retallick never paid.

Death trap Citroen

When a couple part-exchanged their vehicle for a Citroen, in January 2020, Retallick promised it would be MOT'd before he delivered it. But when the car arrived on January 16, there was no MOT certificate; the car had a problem with the brakes and when it's new owner took it for a drive, the head rest fell off.

Retallick agreed to fix the problems before returning the car in the same state. The couple took their Citroen to a local garage, where the mechanic called it "a total death trap." They lost £900 in the exchange.

When another customer bought a Vauxhall Corsa for £1,500, Retallick said that the car would be delivered to his home address. But despite repeated dates being agreed on, the car never arrived. On January 24, 2021, the customer's son rang Retallick, who told him the driver had "dropped off the car outside KFC."

Whilst his dad was in hospital, the son drove to KFC, but there was no sign of the car. Retallick later promised a refund before claiming there was "problems with the bank." The customer later said he had to leave his job as a receptionist for the NHS. In a statement the victim said: "He said it was outside KFC when it was not.

"He put me under so much mental stress. I paid for the car and he promised he would deliver it, but he did not. In the end, I had to give up my job as I had no transport. He not only took my money, he took my job and my commitment to the NHS."

Another couple were told their Vauxhall Corsa hadn't been delivered because of "snow and blizzards on the A66" by Retallick - despite online traffic reports showing that the conditions were fine. Retallick then claimed he couldn't deliver the car because he needed a "delivery permit."

They had paid £1,500 for the car. When the pensioner called Retallick on January 10, 2021, he said: "I've got your money, you old c***, so now you can go and f*** yourself. Or better still, go and f*** your old wife."

Retallick turned on a customer who bought a Citroen car, on April 13, 2021. After a "series of delays and excuses" about why the van hadn't been delivered, Retallick agreed to refund the customer. He said he was waiting for a £12,000 payment in to his other business, and then he would pay back the £2,200 for the van.

The refund never came, and on July 9, the customer's mother contacted Retallick. He told her that if she dropped her complaint to trading standards, he would play the amount back in £500 installments, before claiming: "I've done more jail time than Ronnie and Reggie. I don't give a f*** about going to jail but you won't get one pence."

The victim said he had borrowed money to pay for the van, which was never delivered, but he still had to pay back his loan.

Retallick then moved into roofing. The court heard that a couple in Whitby paid him £4,100 to repair their roof. Retallick called himself "Paul Lane" and started work, bringing three other roofers, on December 10, 2021.

"Days later" Mr Pettengell told the court, "there was a downpour of rain and water came through the light fittings and kitchen ceiling, flooding the floor. A tile fell off the roof." The 75-year-old homeowner got onto the roof himself, to try and secure the rubber roof insulation. Retallick failed to refund him.

Sarah Barlow, mitigating, said that Retallick had told her that he "found listening to the damage and pain he's caused his victims, difficult." Ms Barlow said that her client was "shocked and appalled" at his behaviour and that he had written a letter to the judge, to apologise.

"This is not always the way the defendant has traded" Ms Barlow continued, "some of these customers were repeat customers."

The court heard that Retallick said he had become an alcoholic after his mother died in 2019, and he acknowledges that he was a, "terrible business man. He was robbing Peter to pay Paul.." Judge Chris Smith told Ms Barlow: "He wasn't paying Paul."

"He wasn't going on holiday" Ms Barlow replied, "he doesn't own a house, He lives in rented accommodation with his partner who is supporting him. He was trying to keep his head above water."

Jailing Retallick, the judge told him: "You are the very epitome of a rogue trader. You were selling substandard and dangerous motor vehicles that had failed MOT's; or had lapsed MOT's. You were selling warranties that were hardly worth the paper they were written on.

"You sought to make a quick buck by selling some vehicles more than once. It's not just financial harm. Your activities have caused stress, misery and depression.

"Your actions have undermined the confidence the public has in the motor trade. You sought to silence with bullying and manipulative behaviour."

Retallick was jailed for four years. He was banned from working in the motor trade, or in roofing, for the next eight-years. He was also barred from acting as a company director or managing a business, for the same length of time.

After the sentencing, Detective Constable Dimelow from Cleveland Police said: “Simon Retallick is a serial fraudster who targeted and took advantage of victims across the UK. This investigation has been particularly challenging and complex due to multiple victims around the country, and it has taken almost a year to work through the high volume of evidence to ensure Retallick was charged.

“Evidence included working through text messages, phone calls, eBay messages, bank statements and anything else which involved communication between the victims and Retallick. This amounted to 20 case files of evidence."

A spokesperson for Stockton Council said: “Mr Retallick’s actions caused a great deal of worry and grief for many of his customers, leaving them out of pocket and without the vehicles they paid for. Using lockdown restrictions to his advantage, he deceived his victims for many months. Rightfully he has been punished for that by the courts.

“Mr Retallick’s dishonest way of operating his business is inexcusable and I would like to thank our Trading Standards officers and the Police for their tireless efforts to bring him to justice. I hope this sentence brings some comfort to his victims and sends a clear message that we will not tolerate fraudulent business owners in our Borough.”

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