Fraudsters who used sham companies on Slough trading estate to cheat car owners have been sent to prison.

Paul Dockerill, 51, received a four and a half year sentence, Martin Dockerill, 29 and Harry Dockerill, 27, three and a half years - while Jack Dockerill, 23 had his two year sentence suspended for 18 months and was ordered to do 150 hours unpaid work.

A trial at Reading Crown Court had heard how the four used two companies called First Choice Engines and Exchange Engines based on Perth Industrial Estate on Perth Avenue, Slough to defraud customers between August 2013 and June 2015.

They supposedly offered a 'high quality engine remanufacturing service'. But after the customer’s vehicle had had its engine removed the price initially quoted would be vastly inflated.

Work carried out was of poor quality and not to agreed timescales. Customers who complained were threatened and intimidated.

The victims included a charity which assists homeless former soldiers.

Detectives at Slough CID launched an investigation, following more than 500 complaints.

On December 17, 2014 Thames Valley police and staff from the Insolvency Service conducted warrants at the company’s premises and at the homes of the defendants. Martin Dockerill and Jack Dockerill, of Guildford, were arrested on the same day. Paul Dockerill, of Weybridge and Harry Dockerill, of Guildford were arrested on December 30, 2014.

However in 2015 all of the defendants subsequently set up a new company operating out of the same premises and in the same way.

They were charged in connection with the offences on June 24, 2015.

Investigating officer Detective Constable Robert Mellor, from Slough Local CID, said: “This was extremely well organised criminality which used sham companies to systematically defraud its customers. They used the front of a highly polished website and initial customer contact which appeared professional and engaging to gain their customers’ trust and seize control of their vehicles. Once that happened customers were trapped and were ruthlessly exploited. I urge people to always go by the old adage, ‘if something sounds too good to be true, it probably is’."