Urgent Help Please - Doctored Passport - who do I report it to

Bdazzling said:
Apologies for the length of this post.
I'm hoping someone can help me please. I've just bought a pony for my daughter. It was advertised as a 12yr old all rounder, good in all aspects, no vices etc etc.
When we went to try her out she was very well behaved, looked great and my daughter felt really confident on her. The person selling her said she had owned her for several years and had done allsorts of things with her and was only selling her due to family commitments.
Foolishly we didn't have her vetted, the seller seemed so plausible and was able to answer all our questions and it's an added expense that I could do without, yes, I know now I should have :( !

Anyway when I went to collect her I took a contract of sale with me which had a copy of the original advert, plus all details of the horse typed into the contract and got her to sign it. We brought the horse home with passport etc and all seemed well.

I decided I wanted to find out a bit more of the horses history and when I checked the passport for previous owners the person I had bought her off had tippexed out the previous owners name and address and written their details over the top. However I was able to read through this get the details of the previous owner.

When I rang her to find out more details she was horrified that I had been sold the horse. Apparently she had given the horse to the person I bought her from only 3 weeks earlier on the promise of a life long home. She told me that the horse was 19 not 12 and not a bomb proof pony as promised as she hates tractors, other horses and bites (we already found out about the last two!). Obviously if she has given the horse away she can't stop them selling it on but she was very upset.

after much discussion it turns out that the person I bought her from has taken the passport apart, removed the first few pages, where the date of birth etc shows and the vets identification chart, photocopied them, changed the date of birth from 1995 to 2002 on the front page and on the identification page to show 2002. And also the back section where you put the "not for human food chain" bit.

the pages are good copies and to be honest other than the fact that the paper is thinner and not watermarked I would not have noticed if I hadn't spoken to the previous owner.

so this person has fraudulently amended the passport and sold me a horse that is not as described. They have also given me a false name for themselves, however I have managed to find their name and full address and want to take it further, so after all this rambling on who do I report them to ?
Judging by the quality of the amended pages it's clearly not the first time they have done this and I don't want anyone else to get caught out...

sorry I've gone on but I thought it important to get all the facts down so people can give the right advice.
thanks for reading this
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Is this the same horse? the ad says 18 not 19?

http://www.preloved.co.uk/adverts/s...-143hh-chestnut-mare-allrounder-2nd-pony.html
 
turnbuckle said:
Very useful thread so far, but suggest no further comments until police have decided whether to take action or not - terribly important to avoid anything which could be seen as prejudicial. Bit over cautious but praps wise. Let us know how it all turns out in the end - not before!
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No names have been named so don't see how it could be linked to any future court action. Plus OP needs anyone else who thinks they may have been caught in the same scam to come forward .
 
You have to report an offence under 504/2008 the passport legislation to your local trading standards and it is their responsibilty to contact the trading standards office in the area where the offence occurred. The trading standards office in my area is using other legislation eforcement powers as they find 504/2008 not easily enforceable. You will find that many trading officers have little knowledge of 504/2008 and even in some cases say its not us contact DEFRA which is quite wrong. If you do not get positive help from your local office complain to DEFRA throught the Horse Portal on their website. When DEFRA have a new Database which the EU is likely to require them to do in 2015 then if it was free for the public to look at the horse details by the UELN or Chip number you would be able to check the passport details as a horse is not covered by the Data Protection Act only details of the owner who might be caused harm or distress by their details being revealed. I was involve in a prosecution as a witness where a lady sold a 19 year old horse as a 10 year old and the day before the case she pleaded guilty. More people should complain about the enforcement of this legislation as the Minister has stated in writing that DEFRA is rsponsible for the legislation not the enforcement.
 
Hi, yes it's the same one but this is my advert and is honest ! I got the DOB wrong when I posted originally on here I worked it out as 19 when in fact she is 18, and I can't amend the original post now (just poor maths on my part!)
I am advertising her myself as sadly she is just not suitable for us :(
 
Bdazzling said:
Hi, yes it's the same one but this is my advert and is honest ! I got the DOB wrong when I posted originally on here I worked it out as 19 when in fact she is 18, and I can't amend the original post now (just poor maths on my part!)
I am advertising her myself as sadly she is just not suitable for us :(
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Have you managed to get a new passport done so you can sell her?

I am also a bit surprised that you are not keeping her until the case gets taken further, the dealer should, as far as I understand, be given the chance to take her back and return the money if she has gone that option has also gone with her.

I hope the pony finds a good home this time, she has been shunted about a bit and seems such a lovely sensible type she deserves to end up with someone that will appreciate her even if she is a bit grumpy at times.
 
turnbuckle said:
Very useful thread so far, but suggest no further comments until police have decided whether to take action or not - terribly important to avoid anything which could be seen as prejudicial. Bit over cautious but praps wise. Let us know how it all turns out in the end - not before!
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Good advice
 
be positive said:
Have you managed to get a new passport done so you can sell her?

I am also a bit surprised that you are not keeping her until the case gets taken further, the dealer should, as far as I understand, be given the chance to take her back and return the money if she has gone that option has also gone with her.

I hope the pony finds a good home this time, she has been shunted about a bit and seems such a lovely sensible type she deserves to end up with someone that will appreciate her even if she is a bit grumpy at times.
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Hi, yes ive got a new passport. I reported it immediately to the PIO and got a new one issued.
With regards to selling before case is taken further i haven't sold her, just getting a feel for the market and naturally i will follow the advice of police & trading standards but the chances of me being offered my money back for return of horse is virtually non existent according to them. There are other factors that i can not go into on here yet on legal advice which makes it very unlikely seller will take her back (she insists shes private seller not dealer ergo buyer beware)

I feel very very sorry for pony being moved twice in a month BUT my daughters safety must come first and the person who owned her for 11yrs (upto 1 month ago) has spoken to me at great length and confirmed she doesnt think she is right for us.
Im not just trying to get rid of her for the sake of it, my daughter is very upset but if you bought anything else that wasnt safe for you you wouldnt keep it because you felt sorry for it. Im sure there are plenty of people who could handle her problems and offer her a great home but sadly i dont think we can. :(
 
Bdazzling said:
Hi, yes ive got a new passport. I reported it immediately to the PIO and got a new one issued.
With regards to selling before case is taken further i haven't sold her, just getting a feel for the market and naturally i will follow the advice of police & trading standards but the chances of me being offered my money back for return of horse is virtually non existent according to them. There are other factors that i can not go into on here yet on legal advice which makes it very unlikely seller will take her back (she insists shes private seller not dealer ergo buyer beware)

I feel very very sorry for pony being moved twice in a month BUT my daughters safety must come first and the person who owned her for 11yrs (upto 1 month ago) has spoken to me at great length and confirmed she doesnt think she is right for us.
Im not just trying to get rid of her for the sake of it, my daughter is very upset but if you bought anything else that wasnt safe for you you wouldnt keep it because you felt sorry for it. Im sure there are plenty of people who could handle her problems and offer her a great home but sadly i dont think we can. :(
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Reading this, the pony you bought it exactly the pony you got, only you've found out that she's 6 years older? If shes bombproof to ride, cant you just work with her from the ground?
 
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