A ROGUE landscape gardener who left 18 customers across Dorset, Hampshire and Wiltshire waiting for jobs to be completed has been jailed for running a fraudulent business.
At Bournemouth Crown Court on Friday (July 10) James Knight, also known as Jimmy, of Verne Road, Verwood, was sentenced to five years and eight months behind bars after being prosecuted by Dorset Council Trading Standards.
The 34-year-old previously pleading not guilty to all charges, but changed his plea to guilty to all but seven charges on the first day of the trial.
Knight maintained he did not act dishonestly towards the other seven victims but after a two-week hearing, when all seven victims gave evidence, the judge found he had been dishonest from the start.
The court heard Knight advertised as a landscape gardener on social media, visiting potential customers to discuss work they wanted, usually suggesting extra work at a competitive price.
Once the work was agreed, he would take a large deposit for materials and then only deliver a small quantity of materials or do only a small amount of work.
In some cases, he just disappeared without doing any work at all.
One customer who wanted his lawn re-turfing was left with only soil in his front garden, while another who wanted a new drive was left with what was described as a ‘bomb site’ at the front of her house.
Any work that was done was sub-standard, the court was told, with the total value of the fraud estimated to be around £42,000.
On many occasions, Knight would claim he had underquoted and ask for additional payments. Once it became clear to him a customer was not prepared to pay any more money, he would stop work and make excuses as to why he couldn’t continue, including deaths in the family, vehicles breaking down or being stolen, illness, staff problems, and last-minute child-minding responsibilities.
On more than two occasions, Knight claimed his grandfather died.
The court later heard Knight had previously been convicted of 77 charges of fraud between 2012 and 2020. Most recently, he was sentenced to 32 months imprisonment.
READ MORE: Crime news from your Salisbury & Avon Gazette
Sentencing, Judge Mousley said: “You have an appalling criminal record. You claim that you that you feel remorse, but the only remorse you feel is that you have been caught and brought before the court.
“You exploited the trust of hard-working people and had no hesitation in extracting as much money from them as possible.”
In recognition of his actions, the Judge also granted an eight-year Criminal Behaviour Order, preventing Knight from approaching or entering any address in the UK for the purpose of offering his own or others’ services for work.
It also further prevents him from advertising for work, online or elsewhere, or instructing others to do any of the above on his behalf. A breach of the order will constitute a criminal offence.
Cllr Matt Bell, Wiltshire Council cabinet member for public health, prevention and communities, said: “This case shows the real impact rogue traders can have on local people – leaving them out of pocket and with work that’s nowhere near complete.
“Our Trading Standards team works hard to protect residents and take action where people try to take advantage. This outcome sends a clear message that this behaviour will not be tolerated.
“I want to thank everyone who came forward to help bring this case to court. If something doesn’t feel right, trust your instincts and report it – that information helps us protect others in our communities.”
When selecting a trader to do work, Trading Standards advises people to consider the Buy With Confidence approved trader scheme.
Details are also available by calling the Citizens Advice Consumer Service on 0808 223 1133.
Leave a Reply