Press release

Southampton car dealer jailed for two years

Jonathan Nolan convicted of fraud offences which took place while he was serving a suspended sentence having previously been convicted of a bankruptcy offence.

Jonathan Peter Nolan, 62, from Southampton, was sentenced to two years imprisonment, at Southampton Crown Court on 21 November 2023, for fraudulently selling several cars and breaching a suspended sentence.

The fraud offences were identified in 2020 as part of an Insolvency Service investigation into potential bankruptcy offences. However, as the fraud offences occurred in 2017 and 2018 while Nolan was subject to a suspended sentence for a previous conviction, the suspended sentence was activated upon this latest conviction and resulted in an immediate two-year custodial sentence.

His previous conviction was in 2016 for offences under the Insolvency Act after he had failed to disclose around £60,000 in income during a previous bankruptcy. At that point he received a twelve-month prison sentence which was suspended for 24 months.

The fraud offences in 2017 related to five separate instances where Nolan sold five cars to a car dealership, despite not being the legal owner. He gained a total of £75,400 through these frauds.

In addition, in January 2018, Nolan committed a separate fraud when he sold the same Ford Fiesta to two separate dealerships one day apart. In doing so he gained a further £6,850 through his fraudulent behaviour.

Glenn Wicks, Chief Investigator at the Insolvency Service, said:

Nolan deliberately ripped off two car dealers who thought they were making legitimate purchases. I am pleased our investigation uncovered his fraudulent behaviour and has resulted in a custodial sentence.

Nolan had initially denied the charges but later entered guilty pleas. He was sentenced by Judge Nicholas Rowland.

Background

  • Jonathan Peter Nolan is of Basset, Southampton. His date of birth is April 1961.

  • The offences Nolan pleaded guilty to were Fraud by Misrepresentation, contrary to Section 1 and 2 of the Fraud Act, 2006. He received 18 months imprisonment to run concurrently for each offence.

  • In addition, as the offences were committed whilst Nolan was subject to a suspended sentence for bankruptcy offences in 2016, this prior sentence was activated for a period of six months. These six months are to run consecutively to the 18 months he has received for the fraud offences, taking the total sentence to two years imprisonment.

  • Further information about the work of the Insolvency Service, and how to complain about financial misconduct.

Contact Press Office

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Published 23 November 2023