A rogue lorry training provider who conned people out of more than £60,000 has been handed a suspended prison sentence and fined thousands of pounds.

Usman Qureshi, from Rickmansworth, duped his victims by promising to offer services to get heavy goods vehicle training.

The 39-year-old traded under the name New Wave Driving School with clients signing up online for training that was never delivered.

Harrow Council says Qureshi’s website claimed its training would take a few months to complete, providing details of locations and availability.

However, as payments of up to £4,500 were taken and victims were encouraged to sign up to credit agreements, it became apparent that it was a scam.

In some cases, consumers agreed to attend training at locations only to be cancelled last minute, with travel and accommodation costs not reimbursed.

Brent and Harrow Trading Standards, supported by National Trading Standards, say 23 complaints from across the country were investigated.

The total loss to consumers was £63,293, while two finance providers, who terminated agreements to lend to New Wave Driving School customers following numerous complaints, said they had payback adding up to a total of £281,000.

At Harrow Crown Court on June 24, Qureshi, who now lives in Dubai, was found guilty of misleading consumers under the Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations act.

He was given a suspended 12-month prison sentence and fined a total of £28,000. Qureshi was also disqualified from being a director for five years.

Harrow councillor Anjana Patel said: “Qureshi was only interested in lining his own pocket by taking advantage of his victims who needed training to help them with employment prospects.

“It’s the job of our trading standards officers are here to protect consumers, and I’d like to thank our team for the work put in to bring an end to this nation-wide scam. We’ll do the same to anyone else who thinks they are above the law and operate unlawfully.”

Trish Burls, chairman of the National Trading Standards tri-regional investigation team, added: “This investigation highlights the value and success of partnership working between a local authority and our national and regional trading standards teams.”