Car dealers convicted following CCPC investigation
Following prosecutions brought by the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (CCPC), Brian Healy and Andrius Miliauskas, of Lucan Auto Sales, Co. Dublin, have been convicted of misleading consumers about the history of second-hand cars. Andrius Miliauskas pled guilty to six offences and Brian Healy pled guilty to four offences.
Under consumer protection law, it is an offence for traders to give false, misleading or deceptive information about the history of a car.
In a ruling at Dublin District Court this morning, Judge Anthony Halpin sentenced Mr Miliauskas to four months in prison. Mr Healy was fined €1,500 and ordered to pay costs of €3,567 to the CCPC and compensation of €1,994 to a consumer.
The charges were in respect of:
A 161 Ford Focus which was crashed in March 2023, classed as a write-off and sold as salvage, then to Lucan Auto Sales which sold it to a consumer in June 2023 for €11,500. The dealers gave the buyer misleading information regarding the car’s crash history.
A 142 Audi A5 which was crashed and written off in the UK in 2017, then sold by Lucan Auto Sales for €14,000 in June 2024 without disclosing its crash history. When the consumer subsequently discovered it had been crashed and returned the car to the dealer, it was almost immediately readvertised, again without disclosing its crash history.
Both consumers reported their experience to the CCPC, which then opened an investigation.
Judge Halpin noted that the dealers had “completely deceived” the two consumers, saying that if one of the previously written-off cars were to break down on the road,
“…not only could the people in that car be killed, but other people could be killed as a consequence of that… To deceive a buyer in that regard is outrageous.”
The CCPC prosecuted Mr Healy, the owner of Lucan Auto Sales, following an investigation which established that Mr Healy had knowingly overseen the sale of vehicles to consumers who had been provided with misleading information on the history of said vehicles.
Mr Miliauskas, also of Lucan Auto Sales, was prosecuted following a CCPC investigation which established that he had sold a vehicle to a consumer and, during that transaction, provided the consumer with misleading information about the car’s history. Mr Miliauskas had previously been investigated by the CCPC and, in 2023, was convicted of misleading a consumer in relation to the crash history of a car. That conviction was subsequently upheld in the Circuit Court.
Today’s court orders against Mr Miliauskas have been appealed to the Circuit Court.
Brian McHugh, CCPC chairperson, said:
“Car traders have a legal obligation not to mislead buyers about a car’s history and condition. Misleading information can put the buyer and all other road users in danger.
“The CCPC will continue to investigate and prosecute car dealers who mislead consumers, but the best way to keep consumers safe from unscrupulous car dealers is to arm them with information. We need car history information to be shared with consumers for free as is seen in other countries. A car is one of the most expensive purchases a consumer will ever make, and buyers need accurate information so they can get value for money and a safe and reliable vehicle for them and their family.”
The CCPC is working with the Department for Transport to ensure that consumers can access key vehicle history information including whether a car has been crashed and subject to an insurance claim. For more information on previous CCPC research into this area, read: https://www.ccpc.ie/news-and-media/news/article/2025/02/26/ccpc-calls-for-public-access-to-used-car-histories.
While the law sets out the rules for traders, consumers should also take a proactive approach when buying a car and use the CCPC’s checklist to ensure they are getting what they pay for by visiting: https://www.ccpc.ie/consumer-advice/cars/buying-a-car.
The CCPC urges any consumer who believes that they have been misled by a motor trader to contact the CCPC helpline on 01 402 5555 or via CCPC.ie.
The Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (CCPC) is the statutory body responsible for enforcing and promoting compliance with competition, consumer protection and product safety law in Ireland, with new and expanding roles in digital and data regulation. Our aim is to make markets work better to encourage businesses to compete for consumers on price and improve the quality of their products and services. For more information, visit www.ccpc.ie/business.