www.autofile.co.nz JULY 2018 THE TRUSTED VOICE OF THE AUTO INDUSTRY FOR MORE THAN 30 YEARS Kiwi dealers jailed Specialised training that’s for fraud in the UK proven to increase profits Autofile talks to one of the seven victims who paid hefty deposits for expensive cars only to be conned Excellent progress ne of the victims including here in New Zealand. on recalls ripped off by two New “I’m now moving on and I’m Zealanders operating in pleased with the court verdict,” convicted p 14 theO UK as car dealers wants them Mattinson told Autofile. “O’Neil has to be known in this country in case quite a lot of victims in the UK. they try to repeat their crimes here “I want to ensure that when he when they get out of prison. comes out of prison that he doesn’t Stink-bug rules delayed Nicholas Patrick O’Neil and start doing it again. He may contact David Jonathon Chandler have people in New Zealand, convince been jailed after a trial at St them to give him deposits and run Albans Crown Court, north of off with them.” London, after being found guilty When the cars on which p 17 of fraud charges. deposits had been paid never They scammed £334,000 – or arrived, “it was fob-off after fob-off, Marques show off the equivalent of about $650,000 – brush-off after brush-off”. at Fieldays in deposits over a two-year period Scammer Nicholas O’Neil “He just pissed off and tried to from clients of high-end cars, walk away, but two or three friends which failed to materialise. $60,000 after being befriended by and I said, ‘no, this isn’t happening’,” The police finally caught up with O’Neil at a wedding when they lived says Mattinson, who works in cyber the two criminals when tipped off in Shipston-on-Stour, Warwickshire. security and IT. p 22 by, among others, Simon Mattinson. It was one victim too many for “We befriended O’Neil’s ex-wife O’Neil was jailed for five years O’Neil, who also uses Nic and Nick Melissa, who had divorced him. p 29 and six months, while Chandler’s as first names. After getting his emails released, sentence was two years and four Mattinson reported him to the we found about $650,000 worth of months with their different terms authorities because he “didn’t know fraud and that a lot of people were based on culpability. what else to do”. He later found owed money. Mattinson, who was one of out O’Neil had been working in “I believe he also ripped off Rally legend: seven victims, was fleeced for about the automotive industry for years, people in New Zealand in the past. Andrew Hawkeswood [continued on page 4] GLOBAL VEHICLE LOGISTICS NZ - JAPAN - AUSTRALIA - UK - EUROPE Tel: +64 9 825 0888 www.jacanna.co.nz Call Steve Owens now on 021 947 752 GuesT EDITORIAL Chalk and cheese in tackling airbags DIRECTORS EdITOR Brian McCutcheon Darren Risby [email protected] [email protected] ph. 021 455 775 David Crawford looks at differences in JOURNALISTS Darren Wiltshire Sue Brebner-Fox recall risks between here and Australia [email protected] [email protected] ph. 021 0284 7428 Lucy Pink hank goodness what his expectations are [email protected] DESIGNER we live in New and when industry has Adrian Payne MOTORSPORT Zealand. Normally completed its obligations [email protected] Mark Baker TI say that with parochial to do everything [email protected] gusto, but not this time. reasonable within its Autofile magazine is also available online as a readable file or downloadable as a PDF. No, I’m saying it with power for an affected Subscriptions are available at Autofile Online – www.autofile.co.nz. Back copies are a sigh of relief while at vehicle to be fixed. also available on the website. the same time muttering He understands that Copyright: Published monthly by 4Media Ltd, PO Box 6222, Dunedin 9059. DAVID CRAWFORD under my breath that if a consumer doesn’t All statements made, although based on information believed to be accurate and CEO, MIA thank goodness we are choose to take a car in reliable, cannot be guaranteed, and no liability can be accepted for any errors or omissions. Reproduction of Autofile in print or digital format in whole or part without not in Australia. to be remedied, then written permission, whether by copying or any other means, is strictly forbidden. This isn’t Australia bashing here industry shouldn’t be penalised for All rights reserved. either. I really enjoy jumping across a decision it cannot make. ISSN 0112-3475 (print) ISSN 2350-3181 (online) the ditch and visiting the West Isle Conversely, our complexity is because it has so much to offer the used-imported vehicles. casual visitor. For the mandatory recall, New The thing that has sparked Zealand’s new-vehicle distributors my reaction this time around have agreed to undertake the call- is the response by the federal back for all new and used vehicles, government, through the and when the vehicle is owned by Vehicle Inspection NZ Australian Competition and a consumer the cost of the recall Consumer Commission, to the will be met by the Kiwi distributor Takata airbag recall compared to in the first instance. the New Zealand government’s Identifying which vehicles are Entry Certification approach. These two approaches subject to the recall and the status are chalk and cheese. of individual units in terms of specialists In Australia, everything is whether or not the recall has been mandated with threats of punitive completed for any used import actions on distributors if a vehicle is not as straightforward as one isn’t fixed even though the might reasonably assume it is. discretionary part of the recall The full explanation of this remains with the owner. process is much longer than my The list of things distributors word limit for this guest editorial, must do is long and onerous. although this has been previously The programme imposed on covered in Autofile. distributors in Australia doesn’t Coming back to my main theme target the principle “at risk” areas, it of New Zealand over Australia. It’s treats everything as “ultra-high risk”. not often that industry passes out Conversely, our Minister of bouquets to government ministers, Commerce and Consumer Affairs but in this case one is due to Faafoi. has taken a more measured and His willingness to be firm with targeted approach. industry, but reasonable in the • Entry Certification for imported cars • Vehicle Appraisals • Pre-Purchase Inspections • WoF • CoF • Road User Charges Kris Faafoi has focused on the obligations we need to meet, means • Registration & relicencing • Exhaust emission testing “at risk” Takata airbags, which are there’s a greater chance we can loosely known and referred to as both achieve the result we want – alpha-type airbags. “at risk” airbag inflators removed 0800 GO VINZ VINZ.CO.NZ Tel: +64 9 825 0888 www.jacanna.co.nz He has been clear with industry and replaced with safe ones. www.autofile.co.nz 3 news [continued from page 1] “A few years ago, when the noose Police say Chandler, aged 49, assistance to the investigation t was tightening, he took a flight to the of Grays, Essex, and 47-year-old through intelligence checks on UK and everyone was left helpless.” O’Neil knew each other well and Fraudsterthe suspects and facilitating Autofile has spoken to plotted their scheme to extract the New Zealand-based victims’ independent sources in the money from car dealers and presentation of evidence.” automotive industry, who confirm buyers who approached them Speaking from Surrey, near this appears to have been the case. and wanted the likes of Ferraris, London, where he now lives, Mattinson says if it wasn’t for Bentleys and Porsches. Mattinson said he was told by him calling time on O’Neil, his The models in question were O’Neil he could access six Porsche criminal activities could have gone so exclusive they needed to be 911 GT3 RSs from a friend in on for longer. built to order – a process that Cyprus, which is a right-hand-drive “Both he and Chandler go can take in excess of six months market “so the finance was needed way back. O’Neil knows how to – and they fabricated documents to secure them”. David Chandler was sentenced to two defraud. He befriended me when allowing clients to believe they years and four months in jail Mattinson and some friends he realised I had wealthy friends. had been ordered. handed over deposits and “He was a neighbour and almost The case came to light when in Broxbourne, Hertfordshire, expected the cars to be built to a best friend. We hit it off straight it was reported to Hertfordshire while O’Neil was sole director of their specifications. O’Neil told away. He liked super-cars and Constabulary via Action Fraud and his company Drive Direct. him the process had been delayed Porsches, and said he sold them. the National Fraud Intelligence Sergeant Steve Dowty, of the and more excuses followed. “I did my due diligence and Bureau in March 2016. cyber and financial investigation “As his neighbour, I saw cars nothing came up, so I contacted a The authorities got involved unit, told Autofile: “Although O’Neil coming over and that he was in the few wealthy mates who said ‘we’ve when victims became suspicious and Chandler were identified trade,” says Mattinson.