A fraudulent car dealer fled the country to Cyprus for five years while being investigated for stealing from a former friend.
Paul Westcott fled the UK in 2019, only returning in 2024 when he was told he was being investigated.
The 56-year-old, of Coxwell Road, Faringdon, was sentenced at Oxford Crown Court on August 11.
He had been due to stand trial back in May, but pleaded guilty to stealing three Mercedes cars and £42,000 from the Hrycko family between October and December 2019.
He also pleaded guilty to three counts of fraud by false representation to Michael Hrycko relating to a Mercedes C220d, Range Rover and a Mercedes A180.
Richard Bendall, prosecuting, told the court that Westcott was purporting to be a legitimate car dealer.
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The court heard that he had previously worked for Mercedes-Benz and had a long-standing friendship with the victim Mr Hrycko.
In 2019, Westcott offered Mr Hrycko three new vehicles in exchange for three part-exchange vehicles and £42,000.
A delivery date was agreed, but this was never fulfilled. The money was also never returned.
By December 2019, Westcott was uncontactable, as by this time he had fled to Cyprus.
In a message, he claimed the cars had been taken by an aggressive creditor. However this was a lie.
He'd actually sold the vehicles on.
Mr Bendall read extracts from a victim impact statement, provided by Mr Hrycko.
The barrister said: "He viewed the defendant as a friend. He felt let down, and the friendship was betrayed.
"He has had sleepless nights and it has impacted his physical and mental health."
The court heard that Westcott had a previous conviction for similar offences back in 2012. For this, he received a suspended prison sentence.
In mitigation, the case was described as an 'unattractive set of facts' and a 'betrayal of a friendship'.
The court heard that once Westcott knew he was being investigated by authorities in the UK, he came back within 24 hours.
Also, when he returned he was in custody for one month.
Judge Hassan Khan said: "You presented yourself as a reputable car dealer. You exploited this and your long-standing relationship with Mr Hrycko.
"This was planned and sustained dishonest conduct. The harm caused was significant. This was a serious breach of trust.
"You established a new life in Cyprus to evade justice here. This is a long-standing pattern of dishonest behaviour.
"You are a seriously dishonest individual. At no point did you think about compensating the victim. You thought you had got away with it."
Westcott was jailed for a total of 54 months.
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