Paul Johnston, also known as Paul Cook, accepted deposits and payments after responding to online requests for work, but repeatedly failed to complete the jobs, reports London Now.
In a series of cases spanning London and Kent, customers paid for work such as patios, fencing and double glazing.
After taking the money, Johnston offered a range of excuses for delays, including personal issues and weather disruptions, before stopping contact altogether and refusing to issue refunds.
One customer in Mitcham paid a £2,360 deposit in August 2020 for double glazing work that was never completed.
In other cases, customers who had commissioned garden-related projects were left out of pocket after work failed to materialise.
Across all cases, victims paid a total of £10,432.20.
The offences were investigated by Bromley Trading Standards with support from National Trading Standards’ Tri Regional Investigation Team after reports were first received in 2020, with further complaints emerging in 2022.
Johnston was convicted of 18 offences in total, including 10 counts of theft under the Theft Act 1968 and eight counts of fraud under the Fraud Act 2006.
He was sentenced to 65 weeks in prison at Croydon Crown Court last Monday (May 11) after previously pleading guilty to all charges.
A Bromley Council spokesperson said: “The scale of this investigation was immense, and we are grateful for the support of the National Trading Standards team who helped secure this conviction.
“It is yet another example of our work to protect residents, where we are all advised to be highly careful when hiring traders.
“This individual was highly persuasive, but it is a reminder of the importance to secure multiple estimates for work as well as to check references to make sure the person you are seeking to hire is Bonafide.”
A National Trading Standards spokesperson said: “Mr Johnston’s conviction highlights the serious consequences of taking money from consumers without delivering the promised work, whether for fencing, double glazing, or gardening.
“I commend the Trading Standards teams whose thorough investigation has held this trader accountable and helped consumers from similar exploitation.
“It’s important that the public feels confident when hiring traders – and that trust is built on holding those who deceive others to account.
“I would encourage anyone who has been a victim of similar scams to report it to the Citizens Advice Consumer Service on 0808 223 1133.”
