A woman who turned a blind eye to “misleading” online adverts for the car sales business she ran at Scorrier has been told to pay out nearly £10,000 by magistrates.

Jackie Hall, sole trader of Scorrier Vehicle Sales, and living next door to the business, pleaded not guilty at Truro Magistrates' Court to eight offences. She was convicted after a two day trial of seven counts of engaging in misleading action with false information as a trader in a commercial practice, and one of exposing a dangerous product for supply.

Between January and July last year, it was alleged, four vehicles were advertised on Gumtree and three on the forecourt, described as in excellent condition, driving very well, in lovely overall condition, or having a new MOT.

Magistrates' chairman James Slater said one woman was “enticed” to the garage by Gumtree and paid £695 for a Ford Ka, which broke down and was described by a mechanic as being in a dangerous condition, and unsafe to drive. When she contacted the garage she was refused a refund.

Mr Slater said Hall had been unconvincing as a witness and had not stood up under cross-examination, although it had been said that none of the advertised cars would have left the forecourt without an MOT.

He said Hall turned a blind eye to what was happening, sought to blame her employees who had placed the adverts, and took no reasonable precautions and did not exercise any due diligence.

The Ford Ka mentioned had been in a shocking state, and it was surprising that it had got through its MOT.

He said website advertisements would have enticed members of the public to the garage and would have encouraged an average consumer to take a transactional decision which he or she would not have taken otherwise.

David Campbell, for Hall, said she had taken over the business in 2012, not to make a lot of money, but because the previous owner was not in a position to continue running it.

He said the company made ends meet and nothing more, employing five full-time staff and two part-time staff, selling 500 cars a year, and Hall took just £100 a week and had not sought to deceive the public.

Lessons had been learned about the nature and extent of their advertising, and she was now conscious that precision was important in the future. She had turned things round, resulting in no more investigations by trading standards officers.

Hall, he continued, had been out of her depth and did not properly and consistently oversee what staff had been doing, through trust, convenience or laziness. It had not been a question of aggressive selling, targeting vulnerable people.

Hall was fined £500, told to pay a victim surcharge of £20 and prosecution costs of £8,290.51, and £640 in compensation as the buyer of the Ford Ka was out of pocket when it sold as scrap for £55.