Playboy has his £115,000 Ferrari seized by cops after putting false number plates on it – to blag free drinks at swanky bars
Bar owners in Manchester showered Daniel Knox, 29, with freebies when he parked his convertible California outside their premises as it attracted passers-by
A PLAYBOY businessman’s Ferrari was seized by cops after he put false personalised plates on it - to blag free drinks in trendy bars and clubs.
Car dealer Daniel Knox, 29, replaced the standard reg on his £115,000 California with 1 DK, which he created as a “vanity”project.
Bar bosses in Manchester showered him with hospitality if he parked the conspicuous convertible outside their venues.
While there it would attract curious passers-by who would take pictures of it and upload them to social media - providing free publicity in the process.
But gossip about ''Ferrari man'' came to the attention of police after a suspicious traffic warden saw Knox's car parked up on double yellow outside the trendy Living Room bar.
He ran a check on the plates and discovered they belonged to a Rolls Royce.
Officers were called and impounded the vehicle before towing it away on a flatbed truck.
One of Knox’s friends had to be restrained by cops after he tried to prevent them from removing it.
It emerged the owner of the actual plate - worth £40,000 - lived in Preston, Lancs, and had been receiving speeding and parking fines intended for Knox and his Ferrari.
Later when asked by a court why he had bought the Ferrari and had the fake plate made up, Knox, a car dealer of Stalybridge, Greater Manchester, said: "When I went into Manchester with the car and the plate, clubs, bars and restaurants wanted the car outside the premises so people would photograph it and then circulate the pictures via Instagram and social media.
"I got free entry and a booth in the seating area with free drinks for the people I was with.
"The car was quite well-known around Manchester. It draws attention.
"People want to come in the bars because it's outside and it draws attention to the premises."
At Manchester Magistrates Court Knox was fined £850 for fraudulently using a registration mark and permitting the use of a vehicle with no insurance. He was also ordered to pay £550 prosecution costs and a victim surcharge of £52. He no longer owns the Ferrari.
The court heard Knox first came to the attention of police on October 4 last year when the 2011 Ferrari - which retails at around £155,000 when new - was snapped speeding on the A62 in Manchester at 3am.
A speeding ticket was sent to the legitimate owner of the 1 DK plate, with Knox later claiming his false version had been made up at a garage. He then got into trouble again on October 17 when officers acting on the traffic warden's tip-off followed the car as it drove off from The Living Room.
Knox, who runs the Carmovers dealership in Glossop, Derbyshire, bought the Ferrari on finance in Northern Ireland six weeks before it was seized.
Knox paid the fines sent to the Rolls Royce owner when he was booked by police.
Prosecuting, Vincent Yip told Knox said: "He has used the plate for vanity reasons and also to avoid prosecution for speeding tickets and parking fines.
In his defence, Knox said the car also acted as a promotional tool for his business, because people would place more trust in a car dealer with a Ferrari.
He said: "I bought it for promotional reasons to get interest in my business.
"'1 D' is a show plate. That's its purpose. I didn't know it was registered. I don't deal with the exchange of plates as I'm dyslexic.
"The original plate didn't look good, I didn't want it to be on photos and on social media."
Sentencing him, Chair of the Bench Harry Brett said: "Your version of events was not totally credible.
“As a car dealer you should have been fully aware of changing number plates and the use of false number plates and this can only have been undertaken with an attempt to deceive."