John Hawkins of Specialist Cars of Malton jailed for fraud

John Patrick Hawkins, 66, used “several different ways” of dishonesty as he conned owners of and would-be owners of Porsche, Aston Martin and other vehicles, including a Kawasaki motorbike, out of large amounts of money, Stephen Grattage, prosecuting said.

The North Yorkshire company director ran Specialist Cars of Malton, which had built up a good reputation over years for its sales of Porches and other luxury and high value vehicles, Bradford Crown Court heard.

But from 2016 it was running at a large loss and by late 2018, Hawkins was deliberately trading fraudulently, said Mr Grattage.

Judge Ahmed Nadim told Hawkins: “Your actions were a sustained and calculated campaign of dishonesty. Your fraud was to a degree sophisticated and persistent.”

He called Hawkins “fundamentally dishonest” and “callous” particularly in the way he cheated a widow over her late husband’s car.

“Perhaps more telling of your character is the betrayal of a man you described as one of your closest friends.”

He added: “This demonstrates you exploited personal trust for financial gain. The impact on your victims is severe involving betrayal, anxiety and the loss of lifelong savings.”

One victim told the court how he and his wife had to reduce their retirement plans and were no longer able to help their adult daughter onto the housing ladder because of Hawkins’ fraud.

Mr Grattage described how as well as conning owners by selling their cars without their knowledge and keeping the proceeds, or taking money from would-be owners but never delivering the vehicles they thought they had bought, Hawkins set up fraudulent investment schemes involving shares in Porsches and sent out a mass email to 100-plus people offering places on it.

He duped those he had cheated with claims he was expecting a legacy that would pay off his debts, provided fake documents supporting his lies, including fake logbooks, and delivered cars with fake number plates.

He offered cars he didn’t own as collateral or security to his victims or to finance companies from whom he got loans or other forms of credit.

At times he used the same car simultaneously in different frauds.

Sometimes owners only found out their car had been sold when DVLA notified them of a change of ownership.

Specialist Cars of Malton went into liquidation in February 2020. Victims who got judgements against him through the civil courts didn’t get their money back because the company no longer existed or for other reasons.

“The total loss to those deceived he accepts is £1.5 million” said Mr Grattage. The the number of victims was between 45 and 50, and could have been considerably more had more taken up his fake investment scheme, said the barrister.

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Hawkins, of Coneysthorpe near Malton, pleaded guilty to one charge of fraudulent trading between late 2018 and February 2020 when his company went into liquidation. Fifty more charges were left on file, meaning they are not convictions but appear on his criminal record, because the prosecution maintains it has the evidence to support the charges.

He was jailed for five years and three months, banned from being a company director for 10 years and faces asset confiscation hearings at a later date.

He had told a probation officer he was “in a desperate situation and he was making no real gain for himself” the judge said. Hawkins had said the company was in a poor state and the money he got through the fraud went to pay its creditors.

For him, Susannah Proctor, said he had lost everything.

“Now 66, he knows he will never realistically be in a position to create a stable and comfortable life for himself on release from prison,” she said.

His health was not good, as he had problems related to diabetes and mobility issues and mental health difficulties and would suffer in prison.

He was sorry for what he had done.