A man who defrauded more than 20 customers by an estimated £22,000 over three years, has been imprisoned following a case brought by Dorset Council Trading Standards.
Mark Douglas Lowe, aged 47, who gave his address as Bushes Farm Campsite, near Blandford in Dorset was sentenced to two years and three months at Bournemouth Crown Court after pleading guilty to running a fraudulent business under the Companies Act.
Mark Lowe was sentenced to two years and three months at Bournemouth Crown Court on Friday 31st July 2026
Significant sums of money up front
The mobile mechanic, who advertised his services under the names Dorset and South West Mobile Mechanics Ltd, South Coast Mobile Mechanics Ltd, and Mobile Auto Electricians Ltd, repeatedly asked for payments up front for work on vehicles and parts but then failed to return to fix the cars.
As a result of the investigation involving trading standards and Dorset Police, it was found that while most of his victims lived in Dorset, his offending covered 10 counties as far apart as Cornwall, Staffordshire and Yorkshire, with each customer losing between £400 and £3,400.
The court heard that customers contacted him through a third-party website after their car had broken down. Lowe would visit them at their home and quickly diagnose the problem.
He would then either say that he had to take a part away to be repaired, or more often, that their car needed a new part which had to be ordered from abroad.
He always asked for significant sums of money up front. Once these were paid the customer would never see him again.
When they called to complain he would make excuses such as the part was held up at customs, or often just ignore their calls. On other occasions he would answer the phone and abuse his customers.
In addition to the prison sentence, Lowe was made subject to a criminal behaviour order preventing him from working as a motor mechanic for five years. He was also disqualified from being a company director for five years.
Mark Douglas Lowe who used false names, had multiple previous convictions for dishonesty
“Mark Lowe is a rogue trader”
Lowe had 11 alias names and had changed his name when he moved from Basingstoke to Dorset around 2013. He had 15 previous convictions for dishonesty.
Martin Thursby, from Dorset Council Trading Standards, said:
“Mark Lowe knew his customers all desperately needed their cars fixing but he did not hesitate in defrauding them without repairing any of their cars and leaving many in an even worse condition.
“It was clear the judge recognised the harm done by Lowe when he imposed a sentence of immediate imprisonment.”
Detective Constable Nick Taylor, of Dorset Police’s economic crime unit, said:
“Mark Lowe is a rogue trader who scammed a series of customers from around the country, taking their hard-earned money without any intention of supplying the parts they had paid for or doing the work he had promised.
“By working with our trading standards partners, we have ensured that he has been held accountable for his deception and measures have also been put in place to limit his opportunities to target further victims in the future.”
Further information
- Trading Standards approved businesses can be found on the Buy With Confidence website
