A rogue mobile mechanic who conned motorists out of thousands of pounds by taking payment for repairs he never intended to complete has been jailed following a joint investigation by Dorset Police and Dorset Council Trading Standards.
Mark Douglas Lowe, 47, of Poole, was sentenced at Bournemouth Crown Court on Friday 31 July 2026 after admitting two counts of fraud by false representation. A further six fraud offences were taken into consideration by the court during sentencing.
Lowe, who traded under a number of business names including Dorset & South West Mobile Mechanics Ltd, South Coast Mobile Mechanics Ltd and Mobile Auto Electricians Ltd, targeted customers across England by advertising mobile vehicle repair services. Investigators found he repeatedly demanded payment in advance for vehicle parts and repairs before either failing to carry out the work or disappearing without supplying the promised components.
One victim, a man in his 50s from Maidenhead, Berkshire, contacted Lowe in December 2024 to repair his vehicle. After inspecting the car, Lowe claimed the repairs would cost £750, including £350 for a replacement engine control unit. The victim paid £250 in cash as a deposit but never received the part. Despite repeated attempts to contact Lowe by telephone and message, he received no response.
In a similar case, a woman in her 60s from Wincanton, Somerset, arranged for Lowe to repair her vehicle in November 2025 after finding his services advertised online. Lowe told her he needed cash upfront to purchase replacement parts, and she handed over £500. The parts never arrived and the repairs were never completed.
Detectives from Dorset Police’s Economic Crime Unit uncovered six additional victims during their investigation, with Lowe admitting those offences as well.
The police inquiry ran alongside a wider investigation by Dorset Council’s Trading Standards team, which examined Lowe’s business activities over a three-year period ending in July 2025. Officers identified more than 20 victims across Dorset, Hampshire, Somerset, Gloucestershire, Cornwall, Staffordshire, Yorkshire, Herefordshire, Warwickshire and Worcestershire.
Trading Standards estimated the total losses suffered by victims at around £22,000. Their investigation led to Lowe being prosecuted for seven additional offences, including fraud by false representation, fraudulent trading and aggressively pursuing a customer.
The court sentenced Lowe to two years and three months in prison. In addition to the custodial sentence, a Criminal Behaviour Order was imposed preventing him from advertising or offering mechanical services for five years. He was also disqualified from acting as a company director for the same period.
Detective Constable Nick Taylor, of Dorset Police’s Economic Crime Unit, described Lowe as “a rogue trader” who had deliberately taken customers’ hard-earned money without any intention of providing the parts or repairs they had paid for.
He praised the close collaboration between Dorset Police and Trading Standards, saying the partnership had ensured Lowe was brought to justice while also putting safeguards in place to reduce the risk of him targeting further victims after his release.
Martin Thursby of Dorset Council’s Trading Standards said Lowe had exploited people who relied on their vehicles, leaving many motorists financially worse off and without the repairs they desperately needed.
He added that the immediate prison sentence reflected the seriousness of the offences and the significant harm caused to victims across the country.
